Well, now ain't this special??? Apparently the German press who favors Obama was doing a little changing of al-Maliki's words. al-Malifi sets them straight. He actually agrees with Bush that any withdrawal must be based on the improving conditions on the ground and NOT an arbritrary date:


Iraqi PM disputes report on withdrawal plan

NEW: Al-Maliki's spokesman says his remarks were "misunderstood"

(CNN) -- A German magazine quoted Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as saying that he backed a proposal by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq within 16 months.

Nuri al-Maliki told Der Spiegel that he favors a "limited" tenure for coalition troops in Iraq.

"U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months," he said in an interview with Der Spiegel that was released Saturday.

"That, we think, would be the right time frame for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes," he said.

But a spokesman for al-Maliki said his remarks "were misunderstood, mistranslated and not conveyed accurately."

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the possibility of troop withdrawal was based on the continuance of security improvements, echoing statements that the White House made Friday after a meeting between al-Maliki and U.S. President Bush.

In the magazine interview, Al-Maliki said his remarks did not indicate that he was endorsing Obama over presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain.

"Who they choose as their president is the Americans' business. But it's the business of Iraqis to say what they want. And that's where the people and the government are in general agreement: The tenure of the coalition troops in Iraq should be limited," he said.

"Those who operate on the premise of short time periods in Iraq today are being more realistic," al-Maliki said.

The interview's publication came one day after the White House said President Bush and al-Maliki had agreed to include a "general time horizon" in talks about reducing American combat forces and transferring Iraqi security control across the country.

The Bush administration has steadfastly refused to consider a "timetable" for withdrawing troops from Iraq.

In a statement issued Friday after a conversation between Bush and al-Maliki by closed-circuit television, the White House said that conditions in Iraq would dictate the pace of the negotiations and not "an arbitrary date for withdrawal."

The two men "agreed that the goals would be based on continued improving conditions on the ground and not an arbitrary date for withdrawal," the White House said.

In an interview to air Sunday on "Late Edition," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that "those goals are being achieved now, as we speak. And so, it's not at all unusual to start to think that there is a horizon out there, in the not too distant future, in which the roles and responsibilities of the U.S. forces are going to change dramatically and those of the Iraqi forces are going to become dominant."

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said al-Maliki had made it clear that such decisions will be based on continuing positive developments.

"It is our shared view that should the recent security gains continue, we will be able to meet our joint aspirational time horizons," he said.

The prime minister's remarks emerged as Obama visited Kuwait and Afghanistan before embarking on a tour of the Middle East and Europe to boost his foreign policy credentials. He also plans to visit Iraq.

The Democratic candidate says he supports a phased withdrawal of troops, promising to remove all combat brigades from Iraq within 16 months of taking office if he becomes president.

McCain does not think American troops should return to the United States until Iraqi forces are capable of maintaining a safe, democratic state.

He has been a strong advocate of the 2007 "surge" to escalate U.S. troop levels and says troops should stay in Iraq as long as needed.

McCain says Obama is wrong for opposing the increased troop presence, and Obama says McCain's judgment is flawed."
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/...ef=mpstoryview

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"What exactly is this foreign policy experience?" Obama said mockingly of the New York senator. "Was she negotiating treaties? Was she handling crises? The answer is no."

The Dem silence is deafening!! Where did they all go??? <G>

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"What exactly is this foreign policy experience?" Obama said mockingly of the New York senator. "Was she negotiating treaties? Was she handling crises? The answer is no."

i said this all along. can't trust obama or his media lovers. Fox News has become the Most Trusted Name In News

__________________

Thank You President Bush

Can we try and take the high road
Though we don't know where it ends

SSDD (Same Shiite, Different Democrat)

Well for my part I wasn't here.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...566852,00.html

Well that was a good read. Heres the relevant bits in order:

"SPIEGEL: Would you hazard a prediction as to when most of the US troops will finally leave Iraq?

Maliki: As soon as possible, as far as we're concerned. 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.

SPIEGEL: Is this an endorsement for the US presidential election in November? Does Obama, who has no military background, ultimately have a better understanding of Iraq than war hero John McCain?

Maliki: Those who operate on the premise of short time periods in Iraq today are being more realistic. Artificially prolonging the tenure of US troops in Iraq would cause problems. Of course, this is by no means an election endorsement. Who they choose as their president is the Americans' business. But it's the business of Iraqis to say what they want. And that's where the people and the government are in general agreement: The tenure of the coalition troops in Iraq should be limited."

Now seems to me that by that he is in agreement with Obama, and that the improved security should allow for the 16 month withdrawal- if thats an arbitary date to Obama, it isn't one for Maliki.

So now the claim form his spokesman (ought to be accurate about that btw) that the comments were "misunderstood, mistranslated and not conveyed accurately". Whats unfortunate about the bits in the CNN article though is that they don't demonstrate how they were misconstrued.

You can hardly prove that they're lieing- his spokesman doesn't go that far for one thing. Personally it seems strange to methat large paragraphs could be mistranslated(he doesn't speak english?) to much of a degree, but then I'm not familiar with the language.

I suppose the much of the contention as to whether that 16 month date is arbitary- I'd agree that for Obama it basically is, as its tied to trying to force more responsibility on a government that isn't trying hard enough, apparently.

You know how it works JP5 they have their version and thats the only version that matters.



Simple thinkign would make anyoen realize Maliki was not agreeing with the dip(*)(*)(*)(*) Far Left or thier lil joke Obama on the US military being forced to surrender and run home to aggrandize jackasses.



This is the crowd that denies the Surge worked!......clearly displaying how they can completly and utterly deny reality to suite themselves. Why they supprot Obama. See his last speech on Iraq?..just a lie fest.

They don't care...
and btw they want to throw people into Afghanistan!!....

..an Obama supporter in the military is a suicide by proxy

Right well I'd say we've acheived juxtaposition, night guys. Hope we get some more detail on this.

Spin Spin Spin Spin!!!!!!!

__________________
If stupidity were painful, we'd be kept awake at night by the howls of agony coming from the hateful, bigoted, racists in this forum.

Disclaimer: The above comment is NOT meant to include ALL or even MOST conservative members of the forum -- some of whom strike me as quite bright, actually. Just the stupid, bigoted, racist ones. They know who they are. So do you.

Bush adviser says Iraq timeline "very dangerous"
2 hours, 45 minutes ago



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush's top military adviser said on Sunday setting an unconditional two-year timetable for getting U.S. troops out of Iraq in two years would be dangerous.

But Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he would be able to recommend more troop reductions this fall if conditions there continued to improve.

Asked about a hypothetical two-year withdrawal timeline, Mullen told "Fox News Sunday, "I think the consequences could be very dangerous."

"I'm convinced (that) making reductions based on conditions on the ground are very important. We've been able to do that. We've reduced five brigades in the last several months and, again, if conditions continue to improve, I would be able to make recommendations to President Bush in the fall to continue those reductions."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080720/...ithdrawal_dc_1

The SMART way to do it!!!! Not by some politician pulling an arbitrary number out of one of his orifices. Dangerous.

__________________
"What exactly is this foreign policy experience?" Obama said mockingly of the New York senator. "Was she negotiating treaties? Was she handling crises? The answer is no."

You mean, like Maliki saying Obama's 16-month plan is a good one?

__________________
If stupidity were painful, we'd be kept awake at night by the howls of agony coming from the hateful, bigoted, racists in this forum.

Disclaimer: The above comment is NOT meant to include ALL or even MOST conservative members of the forum -- some of whom strike me as quite bright, actually. Just the stupid, bigoted, racist ones. They know who they are. So do you.

Is there a tape of Maliki? A video? Anything to back up the rag's account of what he said? No? It's pretty clear what he is saying now. He is saying the only thing there is any evidence he ever said. There is nothing else but the unsubstantiated claims of a magazine in the tank for Obama.

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Light travels faster than sound. That's why so many people appear bright until you hear them speak. On ignore: farmer_fred, Birdzeye