If Iraq Asks, We'll Leave?

In the Rose Garden today, President Bush was all over the place on the question of Iraq. Each sentence seemed to undermine the one before it. After taking pains to explain that we had to fight them (the terrorists) in Iraq so we didn't have to fight them here, he then went on to explain that al-Qaeda has not yet set up a base of operations in Iraq, and will "find us wherever we are." Bush also stated that we were in Iraq "at the request of the Iraqi government." A rather awkward assertion, given that we forcibly toppled the previous government. Furthermore, and this was the strangest line of the whole news conference, after repeating that we needed to be on the offense against terrorism, Bush declared that we would pull out if Iraq, "if they [the Iraqi government] asked us to leave."

Huh? Hasn't that already happened?
A majority of members of Iraq's parliament have signed a draft bill that would require a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. soldiers from Iraq and freeze current troop levels.
And again in 2006.
A timetable for withdrawal of occupation troops from Iraq. Amnesty for all insurgents who attacked U.S. and Iraqi military targets. Release of all security detainees from U.S. and Iraqi prisons. Compensation for victims of coalition military operations. These sound like the demands of some of the insurgents themselves, and in fact they are. But they're also key clauses of a national reconciliatin plan drafted by new Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki...
And back in 2005.
Iraqi lawmakers from across the political spectrum called for the withdrawal of foreign forces from their country in a letter released to the media on June 19.
Go figure. Maybe they just didn't say "please."

Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 3)

Coming Soon

Most Recent Comments

Presidential Race News

    Politics Video

    HST protest

    HST protestNative HST protest snarls Toronto traffic

    Smitherman to run for Toronto mayor

    Smitherman to run for Toronto mayorSmitherman to run for Toronto mayor

    Rebagliati will run

    Rebagliati will runSnowboarder Rebagliati slides into politics

    Snowboarder slides into politics

    Snowboarder slides into politicsSnowboarder Rebagliati slides into politics

    Miller won't seek 3rd term as Toronto mayor

    Miller won't seek 3rd term as Toronto mayorMiller won't seek 3rd term as Toronto mayor







    News Search
    AOL News

    Elections Blog

    Read the latest election news stories around the U.S. on AOL News. From congressional and gubernatorial elections to the latest local election results, we deliver the information you need.

    © 2009 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved.
    AOL@News © 2009 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved.
    BACK TO TOP
    Blogsmith