Iraq wants to know when we are leaving

Yet another sign of the success of the surge. Congratulations to the troops.

Is this the surge that Obama was against, then was for it,then against it again and is now for it again?

I'm certain he's for it, now that it is successful.

Bush has more backbone than any leader in the world today. And certainly more than any leader in our country in 20 years. It took a lot of balls, when the entire world was against him, to say, "No, we're not pulling out. We're going to win this thing." He's destroyed ALQ in Iraq, after Bin Laden declared Iraq to be at the center of the fight against the west. Now OBL has a serious PR problem. He's a loser. Yeah yeah yeah...I get it. ALQ wasn't in Iraq before we went there. You're right. They were everywhere else in the middle east. We invited them in, and routed them.

This is good news, indeed, guys! Apparently things are going so well, Iraq wants a specific timetable for US troop withdrawal. How do your boys Bush and McCain feel about this? Oh, wait. That's right--they both oppose it. In fact, not long ago, McCain said troop withdrawal from Iraq was "not too important." I think McCain's plans for Iraq can be summed up it this way: "We will stay in Iraq as long as we damn well please."

BAGHDAD, July 8 -- Iraq's national security adviser said Tuesday that his government would not sign an agreement governing the future role of U.S. troops in Iraq unless it includes a timetable for their withdrawal.

The statement was the strongest yet by an Iraqi official regarding the politically controversial negotiations between Iraq and the United States over the U.S. military role in Iraq. A United Nations mandate that sanctions the presence of U.S. troops in the country expires in December.

Speaking to reporters in the holy Shiite city of Najaf, national security adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie declined to provide specific dates, but said his government is "impatiently waiting" for the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops.

"There should not be any permanent bases in Iraq unless these bases are under Iraqi control," Rubaie said. "We would not accept any memorandum of understanding with [the U.S.] side that has no obvious and specific dates for the foreign troops' withdrawal from Iraq."

On Monday Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki issued a statement saying his government was inclined to sign a memorandum of understanding with the United States that included a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Political posturing by the Iraqi's....

McBush has always said that troop withdrawal will be contingent on how things are progressing on the ground. Timetables are not sound military tactical planning tools.

yeah thats the silly part of the whole Iraq thing, if I'm a leader of the country and I want to pull the troops out, do I say... July 25th 2009 we are all leaving! No effing way, all you are doing is saying to the iraqi dissidents to just lay low, stockpile weapons for x amount of time and they won't need to worry about us anymore, just the newly independent Iraqi government. You have to do a slow quiet withdrawal or none at all...

Thats the one problem with democracy, the American people like to see dates and commitment, they also have little patience. I'm not badmouthing democracy, I'm just saying it makes situations like this harder.

So, we can't throw the kid into the deep end of the pool, but we should at least take the training wheels off the bicycle.

PJ,
Strategically that is correct. You do not let your opponent know your exit strategy. It does not bring strength to the negotiation table.

So does anyone think that there hasn't been a deal already cut among the "new" Iraq gov't and the militias? Timetable or not once we leave does any one really think the fighting within the country and terrorist attacks will stop?

They have been waiting us out the whole time and spending our money doing it.

What are we going to do when the Iraq democracy implodes and worse genocide begins to occur?

We want out but our collective conscious will haunt us as our nation started this whole thing.

McCain responds to Maliki's political posturing, actually putting words in the Iraqi Prime Minister's mouth. Democracy in action, Bush-McCain style.

Listening to Democrats talk about responsible withdrawal from Iraq is like listening to a teenaged boy say, "I'll pull out before I cum." You know they have no idea what they're doing.

You really are CNN/MSQVC-deep when it comes to your knowledge of what's going on, aren't you?

It seems to me that what the Democrats are proposing is more in line with what the Iraqi government is asking for. If you want to talk about irresponsible, how about these thoughts and actions from the Bush Administrations leading up to and during the Iraqi War:
1. March 16, 2003: Vice President Cheney, on attacking Iraq: "My belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators."
2. March 27, 2003: Paul Wolfowitz told a Congressional panel that oil revenue earned by Iraq alone would pay for Iraq's reconstruction--"We are dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon.?
3. May 1, 2003: Who can forget these classic moments:


4. June 20, 2005: The insurgency in Iraq is "in the last throes," Vice President Dick Cheney says, and he predicts that the fighting will end before the Bush administration leaves office. The vice president said he expected the war would end during President Bush's second term.

There are more, like WMD, Abu Ghraib, etc,...but these ones quickly come to mind.

We've won the war. And that just pisses you off to no end.

Yes. People are pissed because of the stunning success of the United States in Iraq, and the dramatically improved situation in the Middle East and prospects for centuries of peace looming over our heads. Shit like that REALLY pisses me off. Grrr.

Sweety, I wasn't talking to you. I'm sure you're happy with our success. I'm glad to see that you understand the point of the war.

Hehehe

"When a man is lying in a shell hole, if he just stays there all day, a German will get to him eventually. The hell with that idea. The hell with taking it. My men don't dig foxholes. I don't want them to. Foxholes only slow up an offensive. Keep moving. And don't give the enemy time to dig one either. We'll win this war, but we'll win it only by fighting and by showing the Germans that we've got more guts than they have; or ever will have. We're not going to just shoot the sons-of-bitches, we're going to rip out their living Goddamned guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We're going to murder those lousy Hun cocksuckers by the bushel-fucking-basket. War is a bloody, killing business. You've got to spill their blood, or they will spill yours. Rip them up the belly. Shoot them in the guts. When shells are hitting all around you and you wipe the dirt off your face and realize that instead of dirt it's the blood and guts of what once was your best friend beside you, you'll know what to do!"

"I don't want to get any messages saying, "I am holding my position." We are not holding a Goddamned thing. Let the Germans do that. We are advancing constantly and we are not interested in holding onto anything, except the enemy's balls. We are going to twist his balls and kick the living shit out of him all of the time. Our basic plan of operation is to advance and to keep on advancing regardless of whether we have to go over, under, or through the enemy. We are going to go through him like crap through a goose; like shit through a tin horn!"

"From time to time there will be some complaints that we are pushing our people too hard. I don't give a good Goddamn about such complaints. I believe in the old and sound rule that an ounce of sweat will save a gallon of blood. The harder WE push, the more Germans we will kill. The more Germans we kill, the fewer of our men will be killed. Pushing means fewer casualties. I want you all to remember that."

The General paused. His eagle like eyes swept over the hillside. He said with pride, "There is one great thing that you men will all be able to say after this war is over and you are home once again. You may be thankful that twenty years from now when you are sitting by the fireplace with your grandson on your knee and he asks you what you did in the great World War II, you WON'T have to cough, shift him to the other knee and say, "Well, your Granddaddy shoveled shit in Louisiana." No, Sir, you can look him straight in the eye and say, "Son, your Granddaddy rode with the Great Third Army and a Son-of-a-Goddamned-Bitch named Georgie Patton!"

we will never give up the air field.

You attack Democrats with some sophomoric comment about ending the war and then, when called to task about the planning and carrying out the war, you respond by putting words in people's mouths. This seems to be McCain's gameplan as well and, you are just following his lead, I understand that. Then, of course, you respond with another sophomoric, condescending comment towards someone else. I honestly think your comments do other vets a disservice, but that is my opinion. I'm sure I am not alone in this opinion. You didn't address a single irresponsible act on the part of the Bush Administration and, yet, are quick to call others to task. You alwyas talk about holding everyone accountable and yet, in the end, you never do. That's what pisses me off. You are no different than the other members of Bush's loyal flock. Always quick to take credit but rarely accept responsibility. Four more years, right?

You act as though administrations walk on water. I live in the real world. They don't. They didn't in our "good wars", and they don't in our bad. I accept the fact that they are going to fuck up while trying to win a war. It happens. FDR fucked up when he put Japanese-Americans in concentration camps. FDR would have been impeached today, based on that decision. Thousands of Americans weret thrown to the slaughter, literally, in WWII. Yet we still honor the leaders of that war, and the administrations who led it, as heros. Under today's standards, they'd be thrown in jail.

The difference is that when they do fuck up, you want to run home and surrender. I don't. I want to win the damn thing.

Run and surrender? Again, putting words in my mouth. I've never said any such thing. By the way, if we've already won the war as you say, then how could we possibly surrender?

Per today's NYT, appears the jihadists are leaving Iraq and headed to Pakistan.

Iraq a little too hot for them. Pakistan is not.

Not sure if that means we are doing well in Iraq, or blowing it in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

I hope we never meet in person.

Well, that's a shame. I imagine that Jules would give you nice smoochies.

He's obviously doing his Rush impression. Right wing humor is hilarious.

It's killing me.

Sally: Also he's obnoxious.

Marie: Uh, this is just like in the movies remember when the lady vanishes and she says to meet the most obnoxious man in the world....

Sally: The most contemptible.

Marie: And they fall madly in love.

Actually it was my BHO impression. But close.

Happy times together weve been spending
I wish that every kiss was neverending
Wouldnt it be nice

Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true
Baby then there wouldnt be a single thing we couldnt do
We could be married
And then wed be happy

Wouldnt it be nice

Semantics. You know what I mean. And by run and surrender, I mean leaving before the job is finished; not just in Iraq, but every place that poses a signficant threat to A) the world's oil supply B) the US overseas interests C) the US directly D) Israel.

Shut up already.

Yes, sir.

You do know there is an ignore feature... don't you?

Nonsense. Plain and simple.

Which one includes Afghanistan?

Thank you, Julius lite.

Just because you don't agree with his viewpoint, doesn't mean he shouldn't share it. You don't have to read it.
Yes, I enjoy seeing his rebuttals, much more than ... how to put this delicately ... oh, nevermind.

I'd have replied to that but I have Mars on ignore.