Comments on: Nuri al-Malaki Supports Obama’s Withdrawal Plan

By: Karen L

Karen L — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:44:37 +0000

There’s no way the US will pull completely out of Iraq. Both candidates know this. The US will, at the very least, maintain a Navy base, maybe an air base in the north. Currently, the only friendly port in the Persian Gulf big enough to accommodate a carrier is Dubai, UAE. Iraq is a strategic asset to divide and control the region. That, I believe, was the whole point of the invasion(I’m not suggesting it was just). It provides more options, since Afghanistan is landlocked. It divides Syria and Palestine from Iran and Pakistan. Plus it will help keep an eye on Israel, if Iran tries something. Note Iraq’s proximity to Georgia. All this leak/no leak Maliki thing is subterfuge. Not to be a McCainiac, but the US still has bases in Germany, Italy, Japan, Guam and Korea. Plus, we’re about to permanently station a nuclear powered carrier in Japan. Japan for goodness sakes! My, how things change. That is, until GW caught fire…What I’m saying is that there is too much going on in that region to bug out.

By: jkkuwitzky

jkkuwitzky — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:06:39 +0000

It seems that the original translation was, in fact, accurate. Independent translations have put it closer to the der spiegal original than to the revision. Its rather obvious that the Bush administration’s representatives in Baghdad leaned on Maliki to obfuscate what was (and still is) a terrible political development. The point of this whole story was never that Maliki was actually formally endorsing Obama’s actual plan, just that his idea of a plan for American troop withdrawal was similar to Obama’s.

By: S.C. Denney

S.C. Denney — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:59:14 +0000

I was merely talking about the political implications.

By: Chris McNeal

Chris McNeal — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:11:45 +0000

When I said “government,” I meant Iraqi government. It was Ali al-Dabbagh, spokesman of Iraq’s government that made the statement. Why would I care if Bush wanted a different translation? That being the case, if the Iraqi government insisted that Maliki was not endorsing Obama’s plan and that der Spiegel conveyed the interview innaccurately, then what else matters? I’m certainly not going to base foreign policy decisions on so shady of a translation.

Even though I think a timetable is an absolutely preposterous idea, the time when we can remove troops is approaching. I even think that 16 months or so could possibly be accurate. But let’s come to the decision based on relevant facts. In an nation-state that has had so much progress in the last year, can we not leave the place in a reasonably stable condition? Forget about winning. Forget about timelines, political ideologies, or the fact that we should not have gone to Iraq. All these things cloud judgement that could actually do some good for the Iraqi people.

By: gino

gino — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:07:11 +0000

Getting out of Iraq might be an easier task than getting back into the good opinions of the rest of the world for the US.

However, I agree Kristin’s thought. It would be a nice start.

By: Brett Keller

Brett Keller — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:51:14 +0000

Let’s get out of Iraq and back into the good opinions of the rest of the world.
If only it were that simple… :-(

By: kcross

kcross — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:09:15 +0000

Ah, but is the NYT trustworthy? After all, they tend to interview shady characters such as Dr. Mark Elrod.

This is great news! Let’s get out of Iraq and back into the good opinions of the rest of the world.

By: S.C. Denney

S.C. Denney — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:54:25 +0000

How perspicacious is that last statement? Seemingly little. Having a “quicker way” doesn’t necessarily mean a “better assessment” of the situation.

Yet, it’s good to see the media doing its job.

By: David M. Manes

David M. Manes — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:40:02 +0000

Ooooh, I like that translation a lot.

By: jkkuwitzky

jkkuwitzky — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:34:33 +0000

From the NYT:

The following is a direct translation from the Arabic of Mr. Maliki’s comments by The Times: “Obama’s remarks that — if he takes office — in 16 months he would withdraw the forces, we think that this period could increase or decrease a little, but that it could be suitable to end the presence of the forces in Iraq.”

He continued: “Who wants to exit in a quicker way has a better assessment of the situation in Iraq.”