On Film

Here's the video of Maliki's aid walking back the walkback on a timetable for withdrawal:

It seems to me that, one good reason for the Iraqi government to take a welcoming attitude toward something like Obama's plan is that this gives them some meaningful bargaining power. I think common sense dictates that Obama would be willing to change a 16 month timetable into an 18 month timetable if the Iraqi government can put forward some persuasive reasons why 18 is better than 16. But to get in that conversation, you need to be rowing in the same direction as the new president -- and the American people and the Iraqi people -- and looking to find some definitive light at the end of the tunnel.

Comments

I think common sense dictates that Obama would be willing to change a 16 month timetable into an 18 month timetable if the Iraqi government can put forward some persuasive reasons why 18 is better than 16.

During the primaries, Obama even said something similar, which Hillary pounced on as a broken promise and has since entered the list of "flip flops" over at the kiddie table.

Thank the God I don't worship for adults.
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Posted by Grand Moff Texan | July 21, 2008 2:54 PM

They don't make puppets like they used to...

At least he's on record saying the surge worked.

Posted by Peter K. | July 21, 2008 2:58 PM

I'd put the odds of Obama getting us out in precisely 16mos as slim to none. Of course conditions in Iraq are going to influence the withdrawal. Anyone with half a brain would expect them to.

And yet, why do I sense that the wingnuts will be up in arms if 16 mos becomes 18, or (gasp!) 24? I'd like to give the right the benefit of the doubt and just accuse them of intellectual dishonesty in advance, but the thing is, they just don't seem all that bright.

Posted by Jake | July 21, 2008 3:03 PM

And yet, why do I sense that the wingnuts will be up in arms if 16 mos becomes 18, or (gasp!) 24?

Losers hate it when you clean up their mess. Reminds them they're losers.
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Posted by Grand Moff Texan | July 21, 2008 3:11 PM

I'd put the odds of Obama getting us out in precisely 16mos as slim to none. Of course conditions in Iraq are going to influence the withdrawal. Anyone with half a brain would expect them to.

I agree. The issue here isn't a few months or even a year or so, it's near-term withdrawal versus permanent bases. Obama is on the record as saying he wants us out. McCain is on the record as saying he wants to model Iraq after South Korea (about 35,000 troops) and Germany (about 70,000 troops), and 100 years is just fine. It doesn't get much more black and white than that.

Now McCain seems to be desperately spinning from that position, but the fact that he has not come out and said "I do not support permanent bases in Iraq" means that it's just spin for obfuscation reasons. He has not actually changed his stance. If he becomes president, he'll do everything in his power to keep a large-scale troop presence in place, no matter what the Iraqi gov't and people want.

Posted by LFC | July 21, 2008 3:57 PM

McCain hates war. McCain has seen the horrors of war first hand.

McCain said we could train iraqis outside of the u.s.

McCain was talking about non combat troops how we will be helping iraqis for 100 years.

Obama wants to keep troops in iraq for 100 years guarding our embassy, going after al queda, and training iraqis.

Obama says he will end the war then a top advisor said his plan would take 80,000 troops.

McCain said he will turn over areas to the iraqis and bring our troops home.

McCain is a navy man from the silent generation. He hates war. His foreign policy is like Bush Sr. McCain will bring our troops home responsibly without leaving a power vacuum.

Obama is the one who said when running for the senate don't bring troops home and never set a timetable how it would tie up the hands of our diplomats.

Posted by Sean | July 21, 2008 5:52 PM

But what color is the pony, Sean?

Posted by seth | July 21, 2008 6:43 PM

Pony?

What color is the sky?

Barack Obama ran for the Senate once, before the war started, and argued against the invasion.

John McCain's foreign policy is like George HW Bush's? GHW Bush refused to go on to Baghdad because he didn't want to be in charge of running Iraq. John McCain was arguing for taking over Iraq in 1998.

John McCain said he would leave Iraq entirely? Uh, no, he responded to "George Bush said we could be in Iraq for 50 years..." with "Maybe 100. Maybe 1000. Maybe 10,000."

Posted by joe from Lowell | July 21, 2008 9:06 PM

Oh, heck; I'll say it:

Mixner? Oh MEEEXNER!?!? Wherefore art thou, Mixner?!?

You'd think with all the effort put forth in post after BS post denying Maliki had said this, the least Mixner could do is leave a "duuuuuuh....never mind!" as his signature. Guess we'll have to assume it's there from now on.

Posted by a1 | July 22, 2008 12:17 AM