Maliki’s Gift to Obama

Commentary Magazine ^ | July 19, 2008 | Abe Greenwald

[Jbny]

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s vocal support for Barack Obama’s 16-month withdrawal timetable goes to show how distorted the Iraq drawdown argument has become in light of the election narrative.

Of course a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq becomes less preposterous as security increases in that country — because during that transition the idea of timetables stops being purely artificial and becomes more reality-based. To think otherwise is a logical absurdity, and that’s what the popular state of this discussion has become.

As a war draws to a close, individual soldiers don’t start calling travel agents and packing bags and a 150,000-strong force doesn’t leave in some magical instant that the last bad guy is killed: an army exits in groups and on a schedule. At some point, a viable exit is 16 months away. The real issue here–and the McCain camp took their eyes off it–is that Obama has believed us to be at that point for over a year and a half.

[sirchtruth]

Even the good guys report bogus facts these days!

[angkor]

Maliki’s people are now clarifying that he never called for a 16-month timetable, or any timetable whatsoever.

And indeed, the very first reporting on this story last week included caveats that Maliki was being misrepresented, that he never said 16 months nor were his comments even framed around a “timetable” but rather the natural course of events as things calm down.

But those caveats were quickly deep-sixed, and here we are all over again, hearing the re-reporting of the story that should have been (and was briefly) reported last week.

Sorry, I have no refs, just that I do recall the brief argument that Maliki was being misrepresented by the press.

[angkor]

>>>>>Even the good guys report bogus facts these days!<<<<

I’m hoping in the case of Commentary that it’s because they have a longer news cycle and deadlines than the dailies and cable.

Because, yes, this story has been bogus for a week now.

[lexusppd]

This appeared in a Reuters story this morning But a spokesman for al-Maliki said his remarks "were misunderstood, mistranslated and not conveyed accurately."

"Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the possibility of troop withdrawal was based on the continuance of security improvements, echoing statements that the White House made Friday after a meeting between al-Maliki and U.S. President Bush." http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/07/19/almaliki.obama/

[Allegra]

Maliki’s The Lying, Distorting, Leftist Media's Gift to Obama

[Miss Didi]

Allegra, get your smelling salts ready. (surely I jest) ;)

[Mike Darancette]

I wonder how the Kurds and Sunnis feel about the idea of all Americans pulling out?

[Allegra]

Allegra, get your smelling salts ready. (surely I jest) ;)

Actually, we're looking into large-scale fumigation services for when it leaves here. ;-)