In short:

I previously disapproved my current position and I currently disapprove my previous position.

I'm John McCain and I approve and will soon disapprove this message.

Sounds to me like McCain is desperate. How can you think his stance and Obama's are the same.

McCain has repeatedly said that when conditions improve we can start withdrawing the troops. The situation there is improving (thanks to "surge" which Obama opposed) and therefore withdrawal is now possible.

Obama's position...just run...run...run...leave the Iraqi's to suffer......his 16 month plan is all about just running from the problems...just like he always does.

Per John McCain: Up is down, and down is up.

BTW, did you all see Colbert's second round of McCain's green screen contest, absolutely hilarious. A must watch. I will put the link from Crooks and Liars below :)

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/07/19/round-two-of-colberts-make-john-mccain-more-exciting-green-screen-challenge/

I don't see how McCain's campaign survives this. McCain's singular issue has been Iraq, and specifically the "surge" which he championed.

Now that the Iraqi Prime Minister throatily supports Obama's withdrawal plans for Iraq, and Bush is taking queues from Obama on Iran and Afghanistan, it's becoming apparent that McCain is a man without a platform. Foreign policy is being ceded to the "naive" Land of Lincolner.

McCain is ruing the day when he decided to goad Obama into visiting Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama is getting incredible press. Barring some unforeseen misstep, like dropping a baby at a public event, Obama is going to come back to the States basking in the reflective glow of the support of millions of Europeans.

I guess we will start hearing alot from McCain now about how Obama is going to raise taxes. That's all he's got. Oh yeah, and the gas tax.

Okay, so McCain has been wrong about Iraq and Afghanistan and Pakistan and Iran. There's still the issue of the economy, and McCain is offering more tax-cuts for the rich and he still has Phil Gramm on his team and...

What? He did? Oh.

Well did you happen to hear that McCain was a POW forty years ago?

Oh. Well what about the rumors that Obama is a Muslim?

He isn't? Everyone knows he isn't? Oh.

Nevermind.

It's incredible. Again, a "mistranslation"? Released from a CentCom tool? And the American MSM is gobbling this crap up??

Folks, just a little clarification, since most people won't know what "Der Spiegel" is in Germany.

It's a newsmagazine operating the biggest political weekly in Germany. Der Spiegel also operates the biggest news site over here. What sets it apart from the American MSM is that it is publicly held by the employees, who hold a majority of shares. This setup immunizes it against the political interests of shareholders very much, and at the same time it attracts alot of journalistic talent, just as its founder Rudolf Augstein has envisioned. Der Spiegel has clashed with the German government multiple times in the past, but always won their cases in court. It is considered to have a liberal slant, but its factual representations are considered of utmost credibility.

I know how interviews are operated by Der Spiegel. Certified translators are available, and before interviews concluded in foreign languages are released, they are passed on to the person that was interviewed for review and certification. It won't have been different in this case.

The very idea that what Maliki said was a "mistranslation" or any other kind of misunderstanding (we had _severals_ of those in the past, too bad that Maliki is always so "misunderstood") is flat-out ridiculous. And the fact that major parts of the American MSM is pushing the "official line" demonstrates to me that America is lacking an independent press.

Since the inception of the Iraq war, I've taken an increasing interest in the American view on things. Therefore, I've used the commonly known "name" media sources, and I was horrified to learn how uniformly all of them have filtered out the kind of information deemed to be against "American interests" as much as possible. Be it torture, be it the security situation in Iraq in the early years, be it the hegemonial interests about permanent bases and favorable oil contracts - hardly anything of this makes the MSM, with only few exceptions. And this kind of self-censorship is so organized and targeted that there's only one logical conclusion: A collusion of the powers that own the MSM are intentionally shielding the American public from news they consider to be against their own interests.

I would have never have expected that I'd conclude with incredulity that there is no free MSM in America. The blogosphere is slowly beginning to emerge as a substitute for free reporting, but that's only a gradual process. Good luck in your endeavour!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VHEIi4XKRmM

Well, according to Maliki, conditions on the ground are such that troop reductions can begin. As Obama has emphasized recently, the withdrawal will be done in consultation with military leaders with consideration for changing conditions on the ground (something that has upset the left wing of the Dems, but which has actually always been his position). We are occupying a sovereign country, ostensibly helping them defend their fledgling government against a multi-front insurgency. The war is "won" when they are ready for us to go. Thus, we can leave with so-called "honor" regardless of what happens after we are gone. That is all on them. In addition, Obama intends to maintain a residual force to train the Iraqis, respond to extremism, and protect Americans. He will also provide intelligence and tactical advice. It's not even remotely surrender or "cut and run," and if the republican propagandists think this meme is going to work, they really need to do what they seem to be so bad at—learn the lessons of history lest they be doomed to repeat them. In this case, I am talking about pretty recent history: the 2006 elections.

The point of this story is *not* that the American people need to see it on TV immediately. If they did, they'd be like, "Maliki who? What?"

No, the point of the story is that it gets absorbed by the pundits and journalists who are responsible for asking McCain questions, and interpreting what he says. It establishes an environment where it's very difficult for him to continue making the arguments he has been making, without looking increasingly ridiculous.

I'm not a huge fan of the MSM, but I think I also understand the *kind* of thing they pay attention to. This is one of those things. I'm not going to expect it to be a banner headline on USA Today tomorrow -- or ever. But it's sinking in, and establishing a context where McCain has very little room to maneuver.

Has anyone noticed how disturbingly similar McCain's campaign is to Hillary's?

First trumping the not-really-substantial experience card, then the almost-nonexistant foreign policy one. Hypocritical attacks on campaign tactics.

Also the "as far as I know, he's not a muslim/socialist/black-supremacist/insane/unpincipled/left-wing nutjob manchurian candidate, or at least, i don't think so."

Finally comes the the total denial of reality - perhaps a belief in the idea that if you say something repeatedly, people will believe you. I think we're seeing that here.

I know this will get a little complex for Obama supporters, but try and ask yourselves whether Maliki would be suggested troop withdrawal timeframes if the situtation on the ground there didn't merit it?

There's a world of difference between withdrawing troops when the Iraqi government is stable and the insurgents have been been weakened (as the situation is now), versus when the Iraqi government is NOT stable and the insurgents are still active.

Obama has been calling for withdrawal in 16 months even back when the outcome in Iraq was still very much in doubt. Obama simply wanted to pull up stakes and leave come hell or high water.

I know, I know...there are several thoughts in the above 3 paragraphs, tying together a few different ideas, and that's an awful lot for the typical potty-brained Obama supporter to absorb. But hey, it's Sunday, take a few extra hours and read it slowly.

I think the fact that Bush and McCain are now grudgingly conceding the possibility of drawing down troops in Iraq is the dawning realization (remember, they're a teensy bit slow) that the Iraqis are not going to allow us to establish permanent bases, an unspoken goal of the occupation and perhaps even the initial invasion. It has very little to do with deteriorating conditions in Afghanistan, which has been given short shrift since 2002.

Hey guys, I just wanted to say thanks. I made a few comments when I ever feel compelled to but I mostly observe. You guy are some of the funniest bunch of folks on the net. When other sites or the MSM get me down I always come back here. Thanks again.

Al-Dabbagh explained that Mr. al-Maliki confirmed the existence of an Iraqi vision stems from the reality with regard to Iraq security needs, as the positive developments of the security situation and the improvement witnessed in Iraqi cities makes the subject of U.S. forces’ withdrawal within prospects, horizons and timetables agreed upon and in the light of the continuing positive developments on the ground, and security that came within the Strategic Plan for Cooperation which was laid and developed by Mr. Maliki and President George Bush.

OMFG, ROTHFLMAO! And we are supposed to believe the author of this single-sentence demonstration of utter incoherence that al-Maliki was misquoted? Oh stop, please, it hurts so much from laughing!

If CENTCOM is truly playing politics with this I am ashamed. I like to think as part of the military they dont play partisan politics... perhaps I am a tad nieve but core values are the foundation of each service and if senior leaders are ignoring them to spin this then they are not only fouling our core values but the very things we stand for.

As part of the withdrawal SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) with Iraq, the next President should demand that all Sewage treatment facility paid for by US tax dollars be named "The GW Bush Repository".