Bush forced Maliki to back down on withdrawal in 2006.
Bush forced Maliki to back down on withdrawal in 2006.
Earlier this month, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced that he was in “negotiations” for “a timetable” for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. The Bush administration initially scoffed at Maliki’s statement, but a little over a week ago, the White House embraced a “general time horizon” for the reduction of U.S. troops. Gareth Porter reports today that this is not the first time Bush and Maliki have clashed over timelines. In fact, soon after Maliki took office in 2006, Bush quashed an Iraqi proposal for a withdrawal timetable:
Nevertheless, Bush signaled his rejection of the Iraqi initiative in his Jun. 14 press conference, deceitfully attributing his own rejection of a timetable to the Iraqi government. “And the willingness of some to say that if we’re in power we’ll withdraw on a set timetable concerns people in Iraq,” Bush declared.
When the final version of the plan was released to the public Jun. 25, the offending withdrawal timetable provision had disappeared. Bush was insisting that the al-Maliki government embrace the idea of a “conditions-based” U.S. troop withdrawal. Khalilzad gave an interview with Newsweek the week the final reconciliation plan was made public in which he referred to a “conditions-driven roadmap”.
In an interview with Der Spiegel recently, Maliki said that 16 months “would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal.”
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
Didn’t this come out over a week ago?
July 28th, 2008 at 7:45 pmPuppet government.
July 28th, 2008 at 7:47 pmBut wait, I recall Bush saying that coalition forces wouldn’t stay any longer than they were needed, that we would stand down when the Iraqis stood up, that we were still there at the pleasure of the Iraqi government, that the US didn’t have any long term (more than 100 years) plans to occupy Iraq. If I didn’t know better, I’d think that this Bush person wasn’t telling the truth. He wouldn’t lie to us, would he?
July 28th, 2008 at 7:47 pmIt’s disturbing to know King George is the decider for people living in other “democratic countries.”
July 28th, 2008 at 7:47 pmThe Scumbaggery of the GW Botch Criminal Empire is starting to leak out now that the bastard has little or no power left in the world. Not even in his sorry ass RePugniScum Party!
July 28th, 2008 at 7:48 pmThe day after the 2004 election, Bush had decided to kick this can down the road for the next president. That Iraq has been requesting troops to leave for years, not days, and that Bush’s response was to send more troops 18 months ago, should surprise no one.
Arrogant idiot.
PEACE
July 28th, 2008 at 7:55 pmAnd the cowardly Congress refuses to impeach Bush and Cheney!
July 28th, 2008 at 8:06 pmLet’s get the headline right. That would be “back down,” not “backdown.”
July 28th, 2008 at 8:10 pmO/T ~ but just glanced at the last two days of gallup polls, and Obama holds an eight point lead, down one point from yesterday, but more telling is McIIIrd’s 40% for the second day in a row.
July 28th, 2008 at 8:14 pmI looked back as far as they had the polls posted and it’s a low point for the old coot.
Mr and Mrs Gallup better watch their house, bring in the dog, and set trip wires and fougasse!
It’s been a heckuva rodeo with the Clueless Cowboy leading the Free World.
July 28th, 2008 at 8:16 pmDoes Maliki really think this administration will let them run their own country?
Iraqis don’t seem to understand the Bush administration knows what’s best for them better than they do.
Silly Iraqis…
/sarc off
July 28th, 2008 at 8:19 pmMaliki all of the sudden is coming across as more than a stooge. Seems he is actually trying to do the best he can with the imperialist occupiers. Gee I wish we had a leader like that.
July 28th, 2008 at 8:25 pmHello? Doesn’t anybody out there remember this happening when it happened?
July 28th, 2008 at 9:38 pmEven though they say the Surge is working, we can’t leave.
Even though the Iraqis ask us to go, we can’t leave.
Even though the Iraqis tell to go, we can’t leave.
Because if we were to go, who would protect OUR oil under the Iraqis sand?
July 28th, 2008 at 10:19 pm.
If Iraqis stand up…
Naw, we can’t leave now that Big Oil is just getting established…
[/snark]
.
July 29th, 2008 at 1:41 amThe failed President of America has spent nearly eight years pig-headedly ignoring America’s infastructure, it’s economy and the will of it’s people. Not satisfied with the ruination of various aspects of our nation, he sets to destroying a foreign sovereign nation’s infastructure and economy despite the will of their people. Not satisfied with the ruination of America and Iraq, the clown king sets his sights on Iran. Despite Bush’s long track record of mismanaging everything from oil fields to a baseball team to the United States of America it boggles the mind as to how anyone voted for this numbskull not once but TWICE and who in the hell could possibly take him seriously now when he talks about knowing what is right for America and stabilization in the Middle East.
July 29th, 2008 at 8:14 amCute choice of words, “general time horizon” .
QUESTION: Where is the horizon?
ANSWER: Off in the distance.
One can never get to the horizon. There is no such place because no matter how far you move in that direction, you never EVER reach the horizon. Does this say anything about how “liberated” Bush and Cheney view Iraq?
They are not “liberated”, they are occupied.
July 29th, 2008 at 11:03 am