Drudge just called our attention to this remarkable Political Punch item, which says that a White House employee meant to send a Reuters story about the Iraqi Prime Minister supporting Obama's withdrawal plan to an internal distribution list, but instead sent it to the gazillions of reporters on the White House press list.
The emailed article's subject is not exactly what the White House wants to promote: the Iraqi Prime Minister told Der Spiegel, "U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months [as a withdrawal timetable]. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."
Maliki also reportedly expressed frustration with the Bush administration's failure to create a timetable.
As embarrassing email gaffes go, the White House email could be a lot worse, and there was luckily no OMG, YOU GUYS!!! WTF?! subject heading attached, but it does send the message (to the whole press corps) that Obama's popularity overseas is not going unnoticed at the White House.
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White House Email Error Boosts Obama
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 2)
1. So...where's the email?? I'd like to see it.
cryptometaphor at 2:26AM on Jul 20th 2008
2. drivel
OpenYourBlindEye08 at 3:02AM on Jul 20th 2008
3. drivel
OpenYourBlindEye08 at 3:02AM on Jul 20th 2008
4. Stop the presses! This is news... how?
If the email said that Governor bush got a blow job, maybe we could get him impeached. The fact that Iraq wants us out is news to nobody.
Captain Negative at 6:20AM on Jul 20th 2008
5. Did the email mention anything about cutting McCain's nuts off?
bob at 7:53AM on Jul 20th 2008
6. So when did the folks overseas start voting for OUR president??
Who cares what they think? I don't
Bug at 10:07AM on Jul 20th 2008
7. Nice liberation you seem to want to give them bug. Democracy, fuggedaboutit, freeing them from Saddam, not while we have guns at their heads. So finally the latest lie about Iraq is disproven.
thanks for clearing that up bugs and confirming what we all knew.
Dennis at 10:29AM on Jul 20th 2008
8. This White is so good at just not commenting when an issue is one that would hurt its immage. I wish the Democrates would take notice and do the same. But if a Democrate does something, the White House makes sure we all know about it. And by the way, not all Democrates are liberals. The White House has gone to such great lengths to associate both words as one. It is about time the Democrates notice these things and begin to respond to what is appropriate and shut up when needed.
L. Baldwin at 12:05PM on Jul 20th 2008
9. If Maliki truly feels like this why not withdraw totally today?
How can a "timetable" possibly be forecast in a war of attrition?
If the war is over, where are the attributes for our commander in chief of present?
I guess it's much easier to bolster mr. shoot from the hip Obama & prop up his inexperience with "hey guys, he guessed right".
Did he guess right though? His assessment was based on nothing other than what the voters wanted to desperately hear. Now he's playing catch up to capture the real facts.
Maliki & Obama can ask Petraeus when the time is right, he & his men have been doing the cleaning up. The real work....
Bobby at 2:31PM on Jul 20th 2008
10. Maliki & Obama can ask Petraeus when the time is right, he & his men have been doing the cleaning up. The real work....
---------------------------------------------
They don't have to ask Petraeus anything. A General's job is to carry out policy, not make policy.
But don't worry. Governor bush and/or Israel will attack Iran before this "administration" slithers out of town. The entire dynamic of the region will change. We aren't going anywhere. We stole that oil and we are not going to give it back.
Captain Negative at 3:36PM on Jul 20th 2008
11. Captain,
I guess someone would have to explain thoroughly to me who advised Obama that 16 months was the magic number & what the specifics of that timeframe was based on.
I haven't seen the evidence that Maliki explicitly is referring to Obama's plan. It's obvious with the war being won at this point the Iraqi gov't is now thinking ahead. How convenient this fits into Obama's thoughts. Obama either had to know the war was being won to make this assumption which would make his prior comments of disapproval worthless drivel.
If you're of the opinion Obama or Maliki for that matter are more qualified to plan for a safe withdrawal of strategic occupational troops I strongly disagree.
Petraeus may not set policy but you can bet he's first in line of discussion when strategizing it.
Bobby at 5:57PM on Jul 20th 2008
12. One of Obama's first acts should be to replace Petraeus. Nothing is up to Petraeus.
I don't believe that Obama will be able to get us out of Iraq in 16 months.
But let's remember that we weren't invited into Iraq. We are not "guests" who have over-stayed our welcome. We are invaders and occupiers. We are tresspassers in Iraq.
Captain Negative at 6:42PM on Jul 20th 2008
13. So when did the folks overseas start voting for OUR president??
Who cares what they think? I don't
Bug at 10:07AM on Jul
don't be suprised if they don;t vote for our president this november..nothing involving obama suprises me
nancy at 6:55PM on Jul 20th 2008
14. We are winning the war in Iraq? WOW even the people who work for W are fed up and sent the e-mail to reporters "by mistake." And when they were confronted they now agree with Obama's timetable? Hmmmmm, then again when W ran against McCain for the nomination years ago, the ads he ran were scathing, that McCain was an adulteror, immoral and was mentally abused as a POW. I remember those ads, and anyone who would still support a President who did that to me, I'd be switching parties as quickly as I could. To take that kind of abuse from your party and then blindly vote in favor of everything the man who insulted you did to you? Hmmmmmm shows me maybe we do need to vote Obama in....
Grace at 8:56PM on Jul 20th 2008
15. Seems the media and foreigners want Obama but the voting public don't. Obama is loosing in straw polls!!!
Pauline at 11:14PM on Jul 20th 2008