At this rate, I’m worried that John McCain is going to need a wheelchair if the Iraqis shoot him in the foot any more. Iraq’s Foreign Minister came out today with yet another statement to clarify the clarification of the enhanced explanation of the last five statements on the future of any sort of military presence by the United States in Iraq.
Iraq demands “very clear” U.S. troop timeline
The United States must provide a “very clear timeline” to withdraw its troops from Iraq as part of an agreement allowing them to stay beyond this year, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Sunday.
Asked if Iraq would accept a document that did not include dates for a withdrawal, Zebari said: “No, no. Definitely there has to be a very clear timeline.”
There are also worrying (at least from a GOP standpoint) ruminations still coming from Iraq’s officials. Although “compromises have been found” on most points, some of the Iraqi concerns still throw cold water on the picture often portrayed of U.S. – Iraqi relations in country.
A sticking point in the negotiations is Washington’s wish that its troops be immune from Iraqi law. In July, Iraq’s deputy speaker of parliament told Reuters lawmakers would likely veto any deal if this condition were granted.
Other hurdles include the power of the U.S. military to detain Iraqi citizens, and their authority to conduct military operations, Zebari said.
There comes a point where, even under the most optimistic of descriptions, we would have to stop being seen as “liberators” and begun to be viewed as “occupiers.” This is a far less flattering description. Unfortunately for the GOP, even after admitting that Obama’s sixteen month timeline was a “pretty good” estimate for withdrawing our forces, John McCain has continued to insist that Obama is “giving up on Iraq” by wanting a timeline, and hanging on to the idea that anything resembling a timeline is “surrender.”
I don’t know if the Iraqis want us to “surrender” to someone or not, but they certainly aren’t making any efforts to make sure McCain gets elected.