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As if Obama Doesn’t Have Enough Problems

It’s not often that I quote the New York Post, but they are quoting some specific sources in the Iraqi government on this one.

OBAMA TRIED TO STALL GIS’ IRAQ WITHDRAWAL

WHILE campaigning in public for a speedy withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Sen. Barack Obama has tried in private to persuade Iraqi leaders to delay an agreement on a draw-down of the American military presence.

According to Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Obama made his demand for delay a key theme of his discussions with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad in July.

He asked why we were not prepared to delay an agreement until after the US elections and the formation of a new administration in Washington,” Zebari said in an interview.

I will be watching with interest to see if/how Obama responds to this charge. If true, I find it hard to picture what justification could be offered, and it should rightly shoot a huge hole in his already diminishing campaign hopes.

More at Hot Air.

  • elrod
    If this is true, there's a pretty simple explanation: Wait until we can get a full plan on board to drive Iraq strategy. And that won't come until the Spring.

    After all, Obama actually benefits from the drawdown of US troops in Iraq because he looks prescient; McCain called for a permanent occupation of the place.

    My guess is that this is just "hot air."
  • Ricorun
    The article was written by Amir Taheri, whose accuracy has been questioned several times before. Also, he isn't generally considered to be ideologically neutral. So while I'm prepared to believe that Obama asked the kinds of questions Taheri suggests (I think he would have been remiss if he didn't), I'm not prepared to accept the spin Taheri puts on them. I'd like some independent confirmation.
  • Jim_Satterfield
    I consider the source. Then ignore it. Morrissey deserves no better this campaign season.
  • jwest
    As long as we’re quoting the Post, they report Obama drops down to a 5 point lead in New York.

    If New York is up for grabs, Dems are screwed.

    http://breakingnews.nypost.com/dynamic/stories/...
  • Silhouette
    Uh, more like if this is true Obama wanted the credit for withdrawel for himself and not to go to Bush/Cheney.

    Either way it was a political move at the sure expense of more troop casualties.

    Pity.
  • AustinRoth
    It actually is not a bad request, even if true.

    Ignore the conceit that it would only be an Obama administration this applies to. No matter who wins the election, this is going to be a keystone issue to deal with.

    There is no compelling strategic reason to tie the next administration's hands at this moment in time on how they will be able to deal with it. There is only the political desire of the current administration to try and force their agenda 'beyond the grave'.
  • elrod
    Nice to see the NY Post trying to push the financial crisis off the headlines.
  • gekkobear
    If this is true, Obama violated the Logan Act, and will be looking at up to 3 years in prison for this... which would (in my opinion) make it a bad idea. Senators don't get to unilaterally make treaties/pacts/negotiations with foreign countries.

    If they did, we'd worry a lot more when they went overseas.
  • elrod
    This is Amir Tehari who wrote this. He's the man who spread the lie about Iran forcing Jews to wear yellow stars. Amir Tehari is one of the most dishonest neo-cons on the planet. That a respectable conservative blog like Hot Air would even treat this seriously is a sign of desperation.
  • Hey, I'm just making sure that you guys remember that I'm in the tank for McCain after two weeks of telling me that I'm in the tank for The Hope Train because I didn't like the Palin pick. ;-)

    Tomorrow I'll be in the tank for Ralph Nader. Stay tuned.
  • elrod
    Fair enough, Jazz.
  • GeorgeSorwell
    Amir Taheri is a often considered a source of disinformation.

    Libertarian blogger Jim Henley has a couple of examples.

    Here's some commentary by conservative blogger Daniel Larison.

    Apolgies for the problems I've had formatting this comment!!
  • DLS
    I wouldn't write Obama off yet, despite this or his association with ACORN, who is nosing around both Ohio and Michigan (uh-oh), the latter state which is so blue (to the point of being true Cyanide Nation = death, such as the notorious brain death we see routinely among them) that rather than settle for mere "moter-voter" Dem signup for this November, they're playing hardball and conducting a voter signup program at welfare offices. (So far, there's no word if they're also doing a state-wide prison voter signup.) Next month we need to see his and McCain's campaign fund raising. Last month Obama set a record with 66 (sixty-six) million dollars raised (McCain was up there in the forties but definitely well back in second place -- we need to see next month's results to see if Obama and his campaign recover as well as observe the Palin effect on the GOP side.)


    Obama will probably "short-hop" this easily, a la Brooks Robinson, and the liberal media will in large part suppress the story, anyway. They're currently too busy anyway debasing themselves and offending Americans with their treatment of Palin.
  • ACORN's a bigger issue for Obama than this "stalling GIs" issue in my opinion...
  • RememberNovember
    Taheri is a hack. Trusting these Iraqi "sources" is about as vetted as trusting "Curveball" on WMD's.
  • RememberNovember
    quoting the Post on accuracy is like quoting Yogi Berra on legitimate literary passages.

    The Post is in the tank for McCain, and for those that actually read the .25 cent train floor-beer sopper do so for the sports and local weather- and SODUKU.
  • Obama is also a Muslim terrorist if my sources are correct.

    Besides... if McCain is allowed to make deals with Georgia, why can't Obama make deals with Iraq?
  • elrod
    As I suspected, Amir Tehari got this very wrong.

    Seems that Tehari mixed up the "Status of Forces Agreement" with the "Strategic Framework Agreement." The latter is predicated on Congressional approval and will take months to hammer out; the former is in negotiation right now. My guess is Tehari knew the difference and deliberately misled readers about it.
  • elrod
    ACORN is a highly dubious organization. By paying workers per registration there is an incentive to double or triple their numbers.

    But has there been any proof that people have actually voted multiple times? If it's just multiple registrations for the same person that's one thing. But if those people are actually voting more than once, you have genuine voter fraud.

    Also, is it any sketchier to encourage voter registration at Wal-Mart than at a welfare office?
  • bupalos
    Are you people morons?

    It's the status of forces agreement. It's how Bush wanted to commit the next administration to ongoing occupation (bases, etc.). It was a major theme in the Dem primary.

    The U.S. doesn't need any permission to leave. We need permission to stay. Why are you so stupid?
  • jwest
    “Are you people morons?............ Why are you so stupid?”

    Bupalos,

    Apparently you haven’t read the rules nor do you believe in common courtesy.

    We don’t use language like that here at TMV. Show a little respect.

    From now on, if you want to get the same point across, phrase it like this:

    “Are you people liberals?.............Why are you so progressive?”
  • RememberNovember
    note the lexicon ( and I find our language immensely amusing and circuitous-)
    PROgressive, CONgressional- ie the opposite of CONgress is PROgress....
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