Kagan: Status Of Forces Agreement Was ‘A Great Accomplishment For Us’ Because It’s ‘Opposed By Iran’
Kagan: Status Of Forces Agreement Was ‘A Great Accomplishment For Us’ Because It’s ‘Opposed By Iran’
On Sunday, after nearly a year of intense negotiations, Iraq’s cabinet overwhelmingly approved a security agreement that requires coalition forces to withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011. The next day, surge architect and American Enterprise Institute scholar Frederick Kagan appeared on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show, declaring that the Status Of Forces Agreement (SOFA) was a defeat for Iran.
“The Iranian leadership has been pulling out all the stops to get the Iraqis not to do this,” said Kagan, adding that it was “a great accomplishment for us” because “the Iraqi government has done it anyway“:
KAGAN: Well, actually, it’s opposed by Iran, not just Iranian-affiliated groups. The Iranian leadership has been pulling out all the stops to get the Iraqis not to do this. The Iranians are desperate for Iraq not to align itself strategically with the United States, and they have been literally trying to bribe everybody they can bribe in Iraq, and running a fantastic information operations campaign in Iraq to make this an unpopular and hard thing to do. And the Iraqi government has done it anyway. And that is actually a great accomplishment for us, and it tells us a lot about where this Shia Iraqi government actually stands on whether it wants to be aligned with the United States, or whether it wants to be aligned with Iran.
Listen here:
Kagan’s claims echo those of former Coalition Provisional Authority spokesman Dan Senor, who argued on Monday that the SOFA’s passage represented a “defeat” for Iran. But their argument misreads the reality on the ground.
As CNN’s Michael Ware, who has been reporting from Iraq for the last six years, told the Wonk Room’s Matt Duss, the SOFA agreement “could potentially be a victory for Iran” because “Tehran — whether we like it or not — was in the room” during negotiations. Watch it:
Though it’s true that Sadr has rejected the agreement, Iranian officials actually responded with “strikingly positive remarks on the security agreement after criticizing it for months.” Indeed, before the vote, Iraqis won a major concession barring the United States from launching attacks on neighboring countries from Iraq, which is thought to have softened Iranian resistance to the deal.
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Kagan’s an idiot. Iraq is telling the US to “Get out!!!” as loudly and as often as they can.
November 19th, 2008 at 7:15 pmKagan and his neo-clown gang are flailing for relevance.
November 19th, 2008 at 7:21 pmIt is the unfortunate choice of civilian leadership to listen to and trust morons like Frederick Kagan and his cohorts, while ignoring the wise counsel of uniformed service members, that is largely responsible for what has become the most significant and costly foreign policy blunder in our nation’s history.
In a less civilized nation than the Unites States—if, in fact, there actually is such a thing anymore—individuals like Kagen, William Kristol and others would be rounded up, and publicly executed.
While a longtime foe of the death penalty in virtually all foreseeable circumstances, I am beginning to think that applying it to these clowns might not be such a bad idea after all…
November 19th, 2008 at 7:26 pmSo the question is whether we believe Fredrick Kagen, who’s been wrong about almost everything or Michael Ware, who’s been right about almost everything. Hmmmmm.
November 19th, 2008 at 7:28 pmIt would be funny if the death toll weren’t so high.
November 19th, 2008 at 7:42 pmI’ve heard the old “when you’ve got lemons, make lemonade” but the GOPer hangers on are taking it to “when you’ve got dogshit, make fudgy brownies”.
Delusional idiots.
PEACE
November 19th, 2008 at 7:44 pmPersonally, I can’t wait for the day Fred Kagan is forced to eat those fudgy brownies of which spencers mom @ 6 speaks of.
November 19th, 2008 at 8:09 pmIt is too early to say that Iraqis agreed on this agreement. The agreement was approved only by Iraqi government, but Iraqi Parliament, religious leaders are still big opponents to this treaty.
Some in the Parliament are even calling for a national referendum as a condition to accept the agreement.
Still it is too early to call it a success.
Of course Iranians are having concerns about the agreement, being neighbors to Iraqis,with whom Iranians fought for 8 years war.
It is not just Iran only who is having concerns about the agreement; many other neighboring Arab countries do have their own concerns too.
Even Turkey have concerns about this agreement.
kagan selling hollow success, but remember he is one of these same NeoCons who told us how winning the war in Iraq will be a cakewalk and how we will be received as liberators.
Let’s wait, the coming days and moths might prove Kagan is totally wrong.
Kagan words do not mean anything. The whole thing regarding this agreement is still too foggy to declare a success.
November 19th, 2008 at 8:16 pmNow that Failin’ Palin has returned to Wasilla to resume her role as the village idiot, Kagan had to find another sow’s ear from which to attempt to make a silk purse.
November 19th, 2008 at 8:28 pmIf Kagan and the doughboys at AEI are for it, then I am against it!!!!
PS. Senator Russ Feingold for Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (replacing Biden)
November 19th, 2008 at 8:35 pmHe’s jumping the gun here. The agreement hasn’t passed yet. The Iraqi Parliament broke out in fights today in opposition to the plan.
The righties need to find a way to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear and the SOFA seems to be their newest silk purse.
November 19th, 2008 at 8:45 pmBy what means does Kagan know more about the inner workings of Iraq than even the Iraqis ?
And of Iran (even though there is pretty much a news blackout of inner details) ???
Has he been bribing the underwear gnomes ?
November 19th, 2008 at 9:03 pmIs anyone else struck by the, typically, immature nature of the neocons? Bragging about pissing off a country that doesn’t like us is just silly. Or it would be silly if it were not such an idiotic way to pursue foreign policy.
November 19th, 2008 at 9:35 pmSOFA KING WE TODD ED
November 19th, 2008 at 9:46 pmThe world according to Kagan:
The surge worked, we won in Iraq, SOFA is a great accomplishment for us, and the Earth is flat.
November 19th, 2008 at 10:00 pmDamn it brown acid, I was just gonna….
November 19th, 2008 at 10:10 pmWitchdoctor, rather. haha
November 19th, 2008 at 10:52 pmBilly Withdoctor: “hee,hee, you say something funny”
November 19th, 2008 at 10:52 pmThe chickencrap, chickenhawk, neo-bozo is still lying about the joke he pulled on the USA to get his occupation in Iraq. If there is any justice in this world, cowards like this Kagan and Bloody Billy Kristol will live through a fire fight before they go to their special place in hell.
November 19th, 2008 at 10:52 pmHah hah, we did something we think Iran doesn’t like, and we don’t like them so – NYAH! Suck it, Iran! That’s diplomatic progress, folks!
These people seem to think that international relations are like the fifth grade.
November 20th, 2008 at 12:36 amRemember when Khomayne kept the American hostages for 444 days? That little trick replaced Carter with Reagan/Bush.
Bush Sr, replaced the Shah of Iran with an Iranian mulla, Bush Jr. replaced the Afghani government with an Iranian mulla and then replaced Saddam with an Iranian mulla – Iran is delighted with the SOFA agreement and signed it even before the Kurds did, it’s protest is to save face in agreeing with the “Great Satan” too fast and easy – it is the Arab Shia who do not want it signed, and like the Iraqi Sunnis their opinion is no longer important as they are out voted, so there are now two Shia factions in Iraq, Arab and Iranian.
Three years should get the Iraqi issue right into the 2011 election year, Obama will have to explain to his base why he can not leave Iraq. If the Iranians play along then the next Republican president will place another Iranian mulla in Pakistan, Lebanon or Syria as a reward.
The Iranian people are getting tired of their right wing religious nuts to and their liberals are gaining more political acceptance:
C&L: All Politics Is Local, Even In Iran
http://crooksandliars.com/cernig/all-politics-local-even-iran
Obama’s election took out much of mullas anti-American stance, it’s easy to hate a guy like Bush but hateing Obama is a whole differnt matter and makes their hate speaches look more racsist.
November 20th, 2008 at 4:45 amThat last comment by Snoozer sums up an altogether sophomoric idea: that the US should ‘regain’ its supposed global ‘popularity’, now that nasty Bush is going. In fact, having bases in 140 countries does not and never will conduce to ‘popularity’, and you should try not to copy the mainstream or brainwashing press in claiming such.
November 20th, 2008 at 6:49 amI don’t think the problem with extremist Muslims will go away because of our president-elect, they already have another video out calling him a derogatory term (and Rice, as well). What WILL be a benefit is that the less extreme Muslims have taken a stance of hope that will (hopefully) negate the extremist viewpoints somewhat. And that will only work if Obama can come to the table carrying a softer stick (reduced military presence and increased aid) while still taking a strong stance. The people in that region hate each other, let alone the USA. A delicate high-wire act to say the least. Obama has a tide of popularity around the world that can be a useful bargaining chip but it is a thin reason to hope for and one misstep and, well, you know what will hit the fan again.
November 20th, 2008 at 7:45 amOur invasion of Iraq was the victory for Iran, as it substantially strengthened their position in the region. It was also a victory for OBL and the Taliban since we shifted troops, money and energy to fight and occupy a toothless tiger.
Kagen and others in that camp have been wrong from the beginning and continue to remain in denial. Pathological.
November 20th, 2008 at 9:07 amWe are saddled with an agreement signed by one individual, Crocker, a political appointee of a failed presidency, while the Iraqi’s have approved it by democratic vote of elected representatives. This is in essence a treaty and requires the approval of the U.S. Senate, our representatives. Surely Obama, a Constitutional lawyer, will be offended by this illegitimate document and will have it properly reviewed and approved. Also, the timing should have been extended to have the agreement constituted under the Obama Administration.
November 20th, 2008 at 9:40 am