Obama says conditions to dictate final Iraq forceDemocratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said in an interview published on Saturday the size of a residual U.S. force left in Iraq after the withdrawal of combat troops would be "entirely conditions-based."
... Obama told Newsweek Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki recognized Iraq was "going to need our help for some time to come."
"We're going to have to provide them with logistical support, intelligence support. We're going to have to have a very capable counterterrorism strike force.... We're going to have to continue to train their army and police to make them more effective.... It's hard to anticipate where we may be six months from now, or a year from now, or a year and a half from now."
.... "Barack Obama is ultimately articulating a position of sustained troop levels in Iraq based on the conditions on the ground and the security of the country. That is the very same position that John McCain has long held," said McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds.
Comments (5)
Right?
Sounds like the same type of debate that must have gone on in the Kremlin after their Afghan invasion and occupation started to look to expensive and ugly: "We cannot surrender to these terrorists." "Be realistic comrade. We can remove our combat troops when conditions and security of the country make it possible."
Yes, then there and now here, the same. The idea that they then and we now might be the illegitimate aggressors does not intrude on the discussion.
No, Michael, McCain (and Obama too, duh) is wrong. As wrong as the Russians were.
When to leave? When the Iraqis (not some client government) says so. They appear to have been saying "right the f*ck now," for some time...)
Posted by The Dead Bodies | July 28, 2008 1:30 PM
Posted on July 28, 2008 13:30
DB, seems you missed the point. McCain isn't right about the policy. He's merely right about the lack of difference between himself and the Neo-Gipper.
Posted by Michael Dawson | July 28, 2008 1:41 PM
Posted on July 28, 2008 13:41
If we're really in agreement on the policy, I can very much bear having missed the point. Thanks!
Posted by The Dead Bodies | July 28, 2008 3:08 PM
Posted on July 28, 2008 15:08
if a mccain inherited a gore hand
like obama is likely to inherit a bush hand
in 8 years would the empire be pretty much
holding the same hand either way ???
i suggest this meditation
just for a long commutes diversion
no not a bicycle commute father supreme
Posted by op | July 28, 2008 9:14 PM
Posted on July 28, 2008 21:14
It's fine for a bicycle commute, OP - even though they're usually much shorter than what you poor souls in cars have to endure.
Short as my bike commute may be, it's long enough for us to arrive at the same answer.
Posted by MJS | July 28, 2008 10:40 PM
Posted on July 28, 2008 22:40