Iraq Supports Obama, Takes McCain's War Credibility Down

Since the story is the same as my recent post, here's a quick look at the election game changer for Barack Obama, this time as explained by Keith Olberman and the Nations Chris Hayes. This time, they added just the right amount of irony and perspective the media should have given this news in the first place.

What should be the biggest blow yet to the Republican Parties credibility, Iraq wants a timetable and backs Sen. Barack Obama’s withdrawal plan.

According to Reuters: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told a German magazine he supported prospective U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's proposal that U.S. troops should leave Iraq within 16 months.

In an interview with Der Spiegel, Maliki said he wanted U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq as soon as possible. "U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."It is the first time he has backed the withdrawal timetable put forward by Obama. "Whoever is thinking about the shorter term is closer to reality. Artificially extending the stay of U.S. troops would cause problems."

Who would want to cause problems?:

"Maliki told Der Spiegel, "The Americans (Bush administration) have
found it difficult to agree on a concrete timetable for the exit because it seems like an admission of defeat to them. But it isn't."

This is proof Bush never had an exit plan, because it would look "like an admission of defeat," instead of a logical military course of action. This is a case of believing your own fabricated lies about “winning” and “victory;” that withdrawing is cutting and running, and only Democrats would bow to the terrorists and hand Iraq over by leaving.



Think Progress came up with this interesting angle:

Leading the charge is neoconservative writer Max Boot, who declared Monday that Maliki “is not really trying to push U.S. troops out by mid-2010.” Rather, Boot dismissively claimed, “he is playing politics — Iraqi politics.” Considering Boot argues that Maliki is “playing politics,” he should recognize that the Iraqi people — along with the govenrment — also favor withdrawal, and have for years:

March 2008: Just four percent of Iraqis said they had “a great deal of confidence” in U.S. occupation forces, compared to 46 percent who said they had no confidence at all. 72 percent strongly or somewhat oppose the presence of Coalition forces in Iraq.

September 2007: Nearly three-quarters of Baghdad residents polled said they would feel safer if U.S. and other foreign forces left Iraq, with 65 percent of those asked favoring an immediate pullout, according to State Department polling. 71 percent wanted the Iraqi government to ask the U.S. to leave within a year.

January 2006: “Asked what they would like the newly elected Iraqi government to ask the US-led forces to do, 70% of Iraqis favor setting a timeline for the withdrawal of US forces.”
Boot’s insistence that neither the Iraqi government nor the Iraqi people really want the U.S. to leave is another example of conservatives claiming to know more about what Iraqis want than Iraqis do.