Iraq To Insist On US Troop Withdrawal

[ccheese]

IRAQI SECURITY ADVISER: IRAQ WILL INSIST ON U.S. TROOP WITHDRAWAL TIMETABLE

BAGHDAD — Iraq's national security adviser said Tuesday his country will not accept any security deal with the United States unless it contains specific dates for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces.

The comments by Mouwaffak al-Rubaie were the strongest yet by an Iraqi official about the deal now under negotiation with U.S. officials. It came a day after Iraq's prime minister first said publicly that he expects the pending troop deal with the United States to have some type of timetable for withdrawal.
U.S. President George W. Bush has said he opposes a timetable. The White House said Monday it did not believe al-Maliki was proposing a rigid timeline for U.S. troop withdrawals.

U.S. officials had no immediate comment Tuesday on al-Rubaie's words.

Al-Rubaie spoke to reporters after briefing Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Najaf on the progress of the government's security efforts, and the talks.

"Our stance in the negotiations underway with the American side will be strong ... We will not accept any memorandum of understanding that doesn't have specific dates to withdraw foreign forces from Iraq," al-Rubaie sid.

Some type of agreement between the United States and Iraq is needed to keep U.S. troops in Iraq after a U.N. mandate expires at year's end.

Iraq's government has felt increasingly confident in recent weeks about its authority and the country's improved stability, and Iraqi officials have sharpened their public stance in the negotiations considerably in just the last few days.

Violence in Iraq has fallen to its lowest level in four years. The change has been driven by the 2007 buildup of American forces, the Sunni tribal revolt against Al Qaeda in Iraq and crackdowns against Shiite militias and Sunni extremists.

This from Fox News....

Charles

[DBII]

I'm I the only one confused by this?

DBII

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Was inevitable...

Probably for the best anyhow.

[ccheese]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Get the troops out and let
the Arabs fight among themselves... [You're turn Erich]

Charles

[Erich]

Yes Charles I'd like to see Israel take our place with no holds barred and they would make the Persians cream in their pants, the morons

nobody is stinking listening, I wrote Bushy 3 times for my Velodrome .............no answer the quack

piss on the mid-east, after 2 full tours a relative goes back in September behind enemy lines ......... again !

[syscom3]

If they dont want us there, then lets get the hell out!!!!!!!!!!!!

Iraq has just handed the GOP a golden opportunity to undercut Obama!!!!!!!!

[Erich]

sys but before we do leave .......................... a little surprise for that little shrimp in Iran

[Haztoys]

Originally Posted by Erich

sys but before we do leave .......................... a little surprise for that little shrimp in Iran

I'm with Erich ...And thats how I would of done it from the start... Pound the hell out of them and get out..No one has ever won over there and never well..They want us out ..Fine by me...

[renrich]

I would not count on seeing US troops completely out of Iraq anytime soon.

[Erich]

sadly you are correct we will be there for some time as well as the bordering mid-east countries

but indeed I would luv to see them pound it out tribally as in times of old, the strongest survives,

~ get us home !

[Matt308]

With the significant change in the Iraqi indigenous troops ability to function, I see a troop withdrawal looming. This is already being echoed by the Pentagon for a massive shift of forces. But all US troops. Not a chance in hell. Put us more in a support roll... airpower, SOC strikes, C3I, etc. But let the Iraqi's begin to demonstrate their want for freedom (and the costs that come along with it). The oil currently flowing from Iraq is at an all time high, revenues are $70B/year, terrorism is down, deaths are down...

So despite what the liberals have been hoping and praying for, this tide has turned and the US (and Iraqis) are actually winning. Now to pick the timing of the troop withdrawals so as not to lose that momentum and create a huge sucking sound centered in Baghdad.

[RabidAlien]

Originally Posted by Matt308

So despite what the liberals have been hoping and praying for, this tide has turned and the US (and Iraqis) are actually winning. Now to pick the timing of the troop withdrawals so as not to lose that momentum and create a huge sucking sound centered in Baghdad.

From what I understand, Baghdad sucks anyway. *g* I served over on the Pacific side, in submarines, but my brother's been there several times. Voluntarily.

As stated before, that part of the world has been fighting itself for thousands of years. We're not going to change anything overnight. Best the US could hope for is to get a fairly stable regime in place that might start making those minute, small, tiny changes that in the long run will result in an overall better lifestyle/living condition/etc for the region. I don't think we'll EVER get all of the US troops out, unless there's a major political nuke dropped and we have to scurry home in a massive flood of international embarrassment. We'll keep bases there, kinda like the chaperone at the Prom. They'll do their own thing, and we'll stick around offering our presence and maybe some "joint training ops" that might "happen to catch" some insurgents or something in the crossfire. Oops. We'll pull a good portion back, but still leave some forces there. Besides...its like Bush said (and no matter your political stance, you gotta see the logic of this one), if you give a timetable for pulling out the troops, all you really do is tell the enemy when to start striking again. And where. They're gonna figure out when certain bases go down to minimum staffing (or get closed altogether, or taken over by local forces), and start picking up their activities again. No sense in televising it.

[Haztoys]

I find it strange how people think that the war can or could be won... Do ones ever won over there..So why do some think we can now ... All we can do is slow them down ..And put them off...

[RabidAlien]

On one hand, I don't think we can ever "win", because we're fighting a mindset, not a uniform. We would have to completely and totally wipe out any and every believer in various religious sects to "win". However....regardless of what's going on over in the Middle East....you gotta admit: we haven't been attacked on the mainland US since we went over and started kicking butt.

[Matt308]

And that is really the key. Folks can argue that prevention of further mainland attacks was the the "reason" we went to war, but in actuality it was. We went to war to stabalize an area that is the engine for the world's economy...oil. I don't mind saying it. Because if that region EVER goes to hell and a handbasket where oil is disrupted...not just to the US, but to any of the world's major economies, the US economy will go to sh!t. And if folks think they are losing money in this mild recession, wait until some Asshat dictator shuts off energy to the Pacific Rim, China or India by making a stupid decision like... dropping a nuke on Isreal. Say goodbye to any retirement plans you might have.