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This looks interesting.
I didn't quote the 2nd page.
September 15, 2008
WHILE campaigning in public for a speedy withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Sen. Barack Obama has tried in private to persuade Iraqi leaders to delay an agreement on a draw-down of the American military presence.
According to Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Obama made his demand for delay a key theme of his discussions with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad in July.
"He asked why we were not prepared to delay an agreement until after the US elections and the formation of a new administration in Washington," Zebari said in an interview.
Obama insisted that Congress should be involved in negotiations on the status of US troops - and that it was in the interests of both sides not to have an agreement negotiated by the Bush administration in its "state of weakness and political confusion."
"However, as an Iraqi, I prefer to have a security agreement that regulates the activities of foreign troops, rather than keeping the matter open." Zebari says.
Though Obama claims the US presence is "illegal," he suddenly remembered that Americans troops were in Iraq within the legal framework of a UN mandate. His advice was that, rather than reach an accord with the "weakened Bush administration," Iraq should seek an extension of the UN mandate.
While in Iraq, Obama also tried to persuade the US commanders, including Gen. David Petraeus, to suggest a "realistic withdrawal date." They declined.
Obama has made many contradictory statements with regard to Iraq. His latest position is that US combat troops should be out by 2010. Yet his effort to delay an agreement would make that withdrawal deadline impossible to meet.
Supposing he wins, Obama's administration wouldn't be fully operational before February - and naming a new ambassador to Baghdad and forming a new negotiation team might take longer still.
By then, Iraq will be in the throes of its own campaign season. Judging by the past two elections, forming a new coalition government may then take three months. So the Iraqi negotiating team might not be in place until next June.
Then, judging by how long the current talks have taken, restarting the process from scratch would leave the two sides needing at least six months to come up with a draft accord. That puts us at May 2010 for when the draft might be submitted to the Iraqi parliament - which might well need another six months to pass it into law.
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Why no link?
Edit: Ah, I see...Amir Taheri, one of the guys who promised rose petals in the streets...
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Here:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/09152008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/obama_tried_to_stall_gis_iraq_withdrawal_129150.htm
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Sorry, I forgot the link.
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http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hi9TDNHvuBZpFsO8ZbiFYsnbIl3A
AFP article on Obama's response. I'm not sure there's much difference between Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari's quotes as reported by Amir Taheri and Obama's spokeswoman.
"He asked why we were not prepared to delay an agreement until after the US elections and the formation of a new administration in Washington," Zebari said in an interview, according to Taheri.
In fact, Obama had told the Iraqis that they should not rush through a "Strategic Framework Agreement" governing the future of US forces until after President George W. Bush leaves office, she said.
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http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hi9TDNHvuBZpFsO8ZbiFYsnbIl3AAFP article on Obama's response. I'm not sure there's much difference between Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari's quotes as reported by Amir Taheri and Obama's spokeswoman.
"He asked why we were not prepared to delay an agreement until after the US elections and the formation of a new administration in Washington," Zebari said in an interview, according to Taheri.
In fact, Obama had told the Iraqis that they should not rush through a "Strategic Framework Agreement" governing the future of US forces until after President George W. Bush leaves office, she said.
Indeed - thats so close they must think someone has it taped somewhere.
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http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hi9TDNHvuBZpFsO8ZbiFYsnbIl3AAFP article on Obama's response. I'm not sure there's much difference between Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari's quotes as reported by Amir Taheri and Obama's spokeswoman.
"He asked why we were not prepared to delay an agreement until after the US elections and the formation of a new administration in Washington," Zebari said in an interview, according to Taheri.
In fact, Obama had told the Iraqis that they should not rush through a "Strategic Framework Agreement" governing the future of US forces until after President George W. Bush leaves office, she said.
agricola beat me to the punch.
Yep, there really is no question, given the BHO camp confirmation.
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I guess the question in my mind is why would a person who is not a President be advising a foreign leader about agreements or plans between that leader and our current President. I think he is overstepping his pay grade a bit.
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Obama is one of those politicians whose dishonesty and corruption entail more than just simply pandering to the anti-war crowd for votes.
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I guess the question in my mind is why would a person who is not a President be advising a foreign leader about agreements or plans between that leader and our current President. I think he is overstepping his pay grade a bit.
If the agreement happens after he's in then he gets the credit for it.
Prior to that and it undercuts his McCain = Bush = 100 years in Iraq line.
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Further info from the American Spectator:
STANDING BY THE STORY
The Obama campaign spent more than five hours on Monday attempting to figure out the best refutation of the explosive New York Post report that quoted Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari as saying that Barack Obama during his July visit to Baghdad demanded that Iraq not negotiate with the Bush Administration on the withdrawal of American troops. Instead, he asked that they delay such negotiations until after the presidential handover at the end of January.
The three problems, according to campaign sources: The report was true, there were at least three other people in the room with Obama and Zebari to confirm the conversation, and there was concern that there were enough aggressive reporters based in Baghdad with the sources to confirm the conversation that to deny the comments would create a bigger problem.
Instead, Obama's national security spokeswoman Wendy Morigi told reporters that Obama told the Iraqis that they should not rush through what she termed a "Strategic Framework Agreement" governing the future of U.S. forces until after President Bush left office. In other words, the Iraqis should not negotiate an American troop withdrawal.
According to a Senate staffer working for Sen. Joseph Biden, Biden himself got involved in the shaping of the statement. "The whole reason he's on the ticket is the foreign policy insight," explained the staffer.
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=13897
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BHO wants to go down in history as the man who got us out of the Iraq quagmire.
Whatever your original opinions about the war, it has now become a moot issue as we will be getting out in the next year or so regardless of who is elected.
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Given the media's complicity, it will unfortunately not affect the outcome of the election.
I hope I am wrong.
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Quote from: Obama's Spokeswoman
In fact, Obama had told the Iraqis that they should not rush through a "Strategic Framework Agreement" governing the future of US forces until after President George W. Bush leaves office, she said.
What say you, now, shootinapologist?
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Funny, I don't see this anywhere on the main stream media's website.