There are three competing translations of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's now infamous remarks to the German magazine Der Spiegel about the potential withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. David Knowles provides the New York Times' version.

"Obama's remarks that-if he takes office-in 16 months he would withdraw the forces, we think that this period could increase or decrease a little, but that it could be suitable to end the presence of the forces in Iraq."

He continued: "Who wants to exit in a quicker way has a better assessment of the situation in Iraq."

That's hardly an unqualified endorsement, as was reported by the magazine and breathlessly trumpeted by the American left and mainstream press. Maliki's words seem to be the very carefully chosen words of a man hedging his bet. In other words, on the eve of a visit to his country by the potential next president of the nation that has sacrificed over 4,000 soldiers for its freedom and currently has 150,000 soldiers guarding that freedom, Maliki decided to pay a Sen. Obama's withdrawal plan a compliment. That's good politics in any part of the world.

But a truer picture of Maliki's position on the presence of U.S. troops can be found in his actions. The Bush Administration, and Senator McCain, have long said that U.S. troops would leave Iraq when the Iraqis ask them to. Maliki, the leader of a Shiite political party officially opposed to the U.S presence, has been calling for an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq since before he became prime minister. Still, Iraq has not yet asked the United States to leave.

The German magazine Der Spiegel sent the mainstream media and the American left into a tizzy this weekend when it reported that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki endorsed Sen. Barack Obama's timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. At first glance, the story seemed like a shot to the ribs of the McCain campaign, which has worked hard to gain the public's trust on the issue of the war in Iraq and national security in general. The trouble for the media, and Obama supporters, is that there was no Maliki endorsement.

A spokesman in the Prime Minister's office disputed the magazine's characterization of Maliki's remarks, calling them, "misunderstood, mistranslated and not conveyed accurately." Ali al-Dabbagh said that rather than an arbitrary timeline, such as the 16 months that Sen. Obama supports, conditions on the ground would dictate the pace of American troop withdrawals. He also said that the continuance of security improvements in Iraq would be a necessary precondition of any troop drawdown.

Maliki's comments come in advance of Obama's visit to Iraq, and in that context, are really not surprising. Maliki has domestic political considerations of his own, and as a consequence, has long been calling for a diminishing U.S. presence in Iraq. That is the popular position in Iraq. He also knows that he may well have a President Obama to deal with in a few months. So paying a lip service compliment to Obama's plan was also a wise political move. But the reality is that Iraqi security forces, though vastly improved thanks to the troop surge, are not yet ready to handle the day-to-day security responsibilities in the country. Until they are, the U.S. must stay as their back-up and support. This is the reason that Maliki's office was so swift to correct the record.

Here's the quote that's sure to make ripples in the American political pond:

"U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."

Who said it? Iraq's Prime MInister, Nuri al-Maliki. What was the context? An interview with Germany's popular magazine Der Spiegel. This can't be what John McCain wants to hear, especially with Obama about to arrive in Iraq, and then make his way to Germany. It's just more evidence of how McCain's dare is about to backfire. More Maliki:

"The Americans have found it difficult to agree on a concrete timetable for the exit because it seems like an admission of defeat to them. But it isn't."

Here's the Obama campaign's response, as delivered by Susan Rice:

"Senator Obama welcomes Prime Minister Malaki's support of a 16 month timeline for the redeployment of U.S. combat brigades. This represents an important opportunity to transition to Iraq responsibility, while restoring our military and increasing our commitment to finish the fight in Afghanistan."