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L.A. Times Gets It Right: Iraqi Leaders Agree With Obama
Unlike the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times reports it clearly, accurately, and unambiguously: Iraqi leaders agree with Barack Obama:
Iraqi leaders support U.S. withdrawal in 2010BAGHDAD -- Iraqi leaders told Barack Obama today that they hope U.S. combat troops can be out of Iraq by the end of 2010, according to a government spokesman, a time frame similar to one favored by the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
Couldn't be clearer.
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Reposting this from the last thread:
Contact WaPo here: ombudsman@washpost.com
The WaPo's description is not only tortured spin, it puts forward a demonstrable lie about Obama's plan.
Obama's plan would presumably begin in January or February of 2009, not now. If it stayed on schedule, that would end it in July or August of 2010. If you want to maintain WaPo's strict interpretation of "by the end of 2010," then that would make him "off" by 4 or 5 months, not 8.
It's also worth noting that the difference between the plans of Maliki and McCain is 1200 months.
July 21, 2008 3:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
And here's the paper's phone number for those who want to yell at them: 202-334-6000
July 21, 2008 3:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
I liked the headline just now on ABC News:
LOL!
Alas, no mention of Iraq's agreement with Obama.
But hey, I'll take a headline that asks whether Bush is taking policy cues from Obama...
July 21, 2008 3:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Especially knowing ABC is blatantly and shamelessly imitating their cousins at Faux.
July 21, 2008 4:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
01feb2009 + 16 months = 01jun2010
31dec2009 - 01jun2010 = 7 months
July 21, 2008 3:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Whether or not the story gets proper play now (which still is important), this is still huge news for Obama.
Imagine him in the debates saying that his is a time-frame that EVEN the Iraqis want.
The ammo is there, and it's implications go for beyond this week.
http://strategy08.wordpress.com
July 21, 2008 3:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly. When do the debates start?!?!
July 21, 2008 3:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
I really think Obama will make these connections tomorrow in Jordan. There is extensive press coverage scheduled & the "offical" visits in Iraq/Afghanistan are over so he has alot more breathing room for political statements in regards to backlash from the US media.
Swampland has the story here
July 21, 2008 4:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Mmmm...journalistic integrity. I'd forgotten what it sounded like.
July 21, 2008 3:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
The dam is cracking... the flood is coming.
July 21, 2008 3:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Go look at Ben Smith's entry at Politico: "The day in images".
Two pictures.
The caption: "It's not even close".
Seriously. Everyone? You need to check this out, because it's hilarious.
The Day in Images
July 21, 2008 3:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Maliki debacle seems to be pushing Smith out of his post-Clinton grief.
July 21, 2008 3:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
I just saw that, you are right, it is priceless.
As one of the Politico commenters said it is, "Matrix vs. Metamusil."
July 21, 2008 3:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Property of #41. Hands off!"
hahaha!
July 21, 2008 3:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
TPM is following this story with great tenacity (and a bit of hand-wringing). I'm expecting to see a headline within the hour saying "Obama vetting Maliki and al-Dabbagh for VP."
July 21, 2008 3:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
You whippersnappers get off the fairway and let us play through, we've been members longer than you've been alive, and we know the ranger!
July 21, 2008 4:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Easy to miss, today's announcement that O's taking McCain for their only pre-convention joint appearance to Saddleback Church in the OC...the same megachurch where he received such a warm welcome last year jointly with Fundie Sam Brownback...
Meanwhile seems the old man can't burn money fast enough on TV ads this week...an unintended consequence of the world tour
July 21, 2008 4:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm often critical of the media, but I have to give kudos to Chris Matthews of Hardball for giving the story of Maliki supporting the Obama plan as his lead story.
And kudos also to Andrea Mitchell for pointing out in no uncertain terms that reports suggesting that there was a mistranslation of what Iraqi officials had said are "bogus".
July 21, 2008 5:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
So the Shia leadership of Iraq think that they no longer need American training wheels? Big Brother over in Iran will take care of them? It is by no means clear what this may indicate for the Sunnis and the Kurds.
I hope that Iraq has indeed coalesced as a country rather than a collection but this is by no means clear. Nor whether Iraq acting as a country would promote American interests generally.
America has a very good record about ultimately leaving conquered countries to their own devices but usually only after breaking undesirable cultural movements -- Nazism in Germany and militarism in Japan. It is not clear whether sectarianism in Iraq has been sufficiently ameliorated or not. One could argue that the Sunnis were enabled to discard Al Quaeda as would be 'protectors' (and would be tyrants) because the Sunnies had American protection against Shia extremists.
July 22, 2008 10:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry to rain on everyone's parade, but what if McCain tried to turn this around by saying something like:
"Look, no one likes to see foreign troops in their own country. I'm not surprised that Iraqis would like to see U.S. troops go home, or that Prime Minister Maliki is responding to that public sentiment. That's how democracy works.
"That's the real point here. Democracy *is* working in Iraq. An elected leader is responding to his constituents.
"If we had listened to a young State Senator back in 2003, who said we should stay out of Iraq, there would be no democracy at all in that country. Saddam Hussein would still be at the head of his brutal regime, and it wouldn't matter one bit what Iraqis had to say about their own future."
If McCain doesn't get around to this argument, Lieberman probably will soon enuf.
If you're Obama, how do you respond?
July 22, 2008 12:15 PM | Reply | Permalink