Over the last few weeks, Barack Obama and John McCain have seemed to get perilously close to agreeing on what to do in Iraq. Obama continues to talk about a 16-month withdrawal but would let military commanders determine the pace of the withdrawal. McCain is also now in favor of a 16-month timeline—as long as the commanders determine the pace of the withdrawal.
Reuters: “Obama says conditions to dictate final Iraq force”
Gosh that sounds familiar
Meanwhile….the opposition to the war in Iraq (soon to be…perhaps…President Obama’s War) is as quiet as the wind
Is Barack Obama a neoconservative bent on controlling Iraqi oil, or could it be that Operation Iraqi Freedom continues not for oil primarily, but for….um…Iraqi Freedom?
UN RESOLUTION 1483. May 2003
Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,1. Appeals to Member States and concerned organizations to assist the people of Iraq in their efforts to reform their institutions and rebuild their country, and to contribute to conditio ns of stability and security in Iraq in accordance with this resolution;
2. Calls upon all Member States in a position to do so to respond immediately to the humanitarian appeals of the United Nations and other international organizations for Iraq and to help meet the humanitarian and other needs of the Iraqi people by providing food, medical supplies, and resources necessary for reconstruction and rehabilitation of Iraq’s economic infrastructure;
3. Appeals to Member States to deny safe haven to those me mbers of the previous Iraqi regime who are alleged to be responsible for crimes and atrocities and to support actions to bring them to justice;
4. Calls upon the Authority, consistent with the Charter of the United Nations and other relevant international law, to promote the welfare of the Iraqi people through the effective administration of the territory, including in particular working towards the restoration of conditions of security and stability and the creation of conditions in which the Iraqi people can freely determine their own political future; [emphasis added-sm]
Author of “Reparations and America’s 2nd Civil War
Reparations and America’s 2nd Civil War: Malensek, Scott: 9798864028674: Amazon.com: Books
You forgot to mention Maliki, he’s on board now too.
Maliki, Petraeus….couple more weeks, and the entire Democratic Party will put it in their 2008 platform publication-that means even Howard Dean too.
Have we forgotten what the generals in Iraq have repeatedly said about any withdrawal. It will always be dependent upon the Iraqi military being able to handle their internal and border security. According to the generals, this will not be possible for several y-e-a-r-s. The Democrats can get as excited as they want. The reality of the war is not for sale to Obama’s politics of expediency. The whole of Barack Obama’s experience on Iraq would fit comfortably on the butt of a flea.
http://www.nextgenerationcorp.com/nextgenblog/
Adrian,
Wait, didn’t I read here on Curt’s post that McCain’s and Obama’s policies on Iraq are merging. “Victory is at hand.” says Rovin on another thread. Which is it?
Are McCain’s and Obama’s policies on Iraq substantially different or perilously close to being in agreement? Is victory at hand or is it going to take y-e-a-r-s? And once again I ask for a definition of victory. A stable Iraq able to maintain order within its borders and able to defend against attacks from without its borders.? I believe that with you that will take many years. Then why is Bush now declaring victory and talking about starting to withdraw the troops?
I am glad we are bringing our troops home. I trust we will do it carefully. Those are the priorities. But as a secondary issue I hear spinning inconsistency and incoherence from the Bush Administration and its supporters.