Maliki For Obama?
Last week -- if this reporting holds up -- Iraq and the US gave up trying to draft a long-term status of forces agreement.
The Iraqis found themselves unable to reach a deal with Mr. Bush. Their great benefactor. The man who liberated them. Who nurtured them. The man they could rely on.
The Iraqis probably own a calendar and I believe they do get the internets there, so it will not have entirely escaped the notice of the Maliki government -- our democratic ally -- that we Americans have an election coming up.
It will not have escaped their notice that Senator Obama has a very good chance to be the next President of the United States. And that if they fail to reach agreement with Mr. Bush, they might be forced to negotiate with Mr. Obama.
Given that the conservative commentariat has decreed Mr. Bush to be Iraq's savior, and Mr. McCain is proclaimed as Iraq's best hope for the future, and we are to believe that Mr. Obama's policies would pose a grave threat of collapse and civil war in Iraq. . .
. . . I have a simple question:
Why would Maliki risk negotiating with Obama rather than Bush?
Think maybe it's just possible that the Maliki government does not believe Mr. Bush is its best defender? That they may not be terribly happy about the prospect of Mr. McCain carrying on Mr. Bush's policies?
Think maybe Maliki isn't too worried about Mr. Obama or his policies?
In other words, you think maybe the conservative commentariat's entire line of attack on Obama's Iraq policy just collapsed?
The Iraqis found themselves unable to reach a deal with Mr. Bush. Their great benefactor. The man who liberated them. Who nurtured them. The man they could rely on.
The Iraqis probably own a calendar and I believe they do get the internets there, so it will not have entirely escaped the notice of the Maliki government -- our democratic ally -- that we Americans have an election coming up.
It will not have escaped their notice that Senator Obama has a very good chance to be the next President of the United States. And that if they fail to reach agreement with Mr. Bush, they might be forced to negotiate with Mr. Obama.
Given that the conservative commentariat has decreed Mr. Bush to be Iraq's savior, and Mr. McCain is proclaimed as Iraq's best hope for the future, and we are to believe that Mr. Obama's policies would pose a grave threat of collapse and civil war in Iraq. . .
. . . I have a simple question:
Why would Maliki risk negotiating with Obama rather than Bush?
Think maybe it's just possible that the Maliki government does not believe Mr. Bush is its best defender? That they may not be terribly happy about the prospect of Mr. McCain carrying on Mr. Bush's policies?
Think maybe Maliki isn't too worried about Mr. Obama or his policies?
In other words, you think maybe the conservative commentariat's entire line of attack on Obama's Iraq policy just collapsed?
This entry was posted by Michael Reynolds, on
Monday, July 14, 2008.
You can leave your response.
10:41 AM
Don't worry about the conservative commentariat. They will find a reason to explain why Americans should not, dare not, and indeed must not under any circumstances vote for Obama and accept even a lesser light like McCain as President in his place, because it will be a matter of national and cultural survival. We're at a critical crossroads and all that crap we've heard before.
I think Maliki and Bush are at cross purposes -- Bush wants to leave a large force in Iraq to be ready for direct action against Iran; Maliki wants to have whatever Americans are in Iraq be as invisible as possible. He's not a fool so he knows some level of American presence in perpetuity will be inevitable, but he wants to show that he got Iraq on its feet and truly independent again regardless of realities.
9:45 AM
You're right, transplanted lawyer. And that reason, that trumps all other "issues" is tax policy. And that's not "crap."
9:27 PM
Iraq is truly independent that is the reality. The only way an American presence stays is if Iraq's elected government wants it to stay. Maliki could order US forces to begin withdrawing now with a full withdraw to be completed in four to six months or however long it takes to get Amerian forces out.
I am hearing that Maliki says he was mistranslated. I hope this is wrong. Both Republicans and Democrats including the Bush Administration want out of Iraq. The Republicans and the Bush Administation want an honorable withdrawl. I think most Democrats do to. Unfortunately some would like to see America humiliated.
If Maliki was not tanslated, the US will begin withdrawing soon. If this happens, Bush and McCain, especially McCain will score a huge political victory. McCain will argue that the policies he supported, specifically the surge made America's honorable withdrawl possible.