Iraq-Nam’s PM Backs Obama’s Withdrawal Timing

In an interview with Der Spiegel, Iraq-namese Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki stated in answering a question about the departure of US troops from his country, “US 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.” Since that came out, Mr. al-Maliki’s government has said his words were “misinterpreted and mistranslated.” The US embassy had called to “explain” how the remarks were being interpreted. Or maybe he was told to change his stance.

When asked if that meant he was endorsing the Senator from Illinois, the PM replied, “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.”

One must remember that there are provincial elections coming up in Iraq-Nam on October, and Mr. al-Maliki would like to be able to tell voters that the Yanks are on the way out. If he’s the guy who negotiates an end to the occupation, he’s a hero. Right now, he looks like a puppet, but he may have the potential to cut his strings.

The White House appears to be dumbfounded by the Prime Minister’s insistence on real sovereignty for Iraq-Nam. The acceptance of a “time horizon” last week for the withdrawal of US forces is clearly a concession to Baghdad. Labeling it something other than a “timetable” was merely an effort to preserve the credibility of John McCain’s candidacy for president.

Oddly, the man who claimed the remarks were mistranslated was the PM’s spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh. Mr. al-Dabbagh said earlier today that he hoped US troops would be out by 2010, which is a bit more than 16 months away, but it is within the general time horizon Senator Obama has suggested. One wonders just what the Iraq-Namese government really believes.

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