Obama Touting Iraqi Calls For Timetable

July 10, 2008 · Filed Under Barack Obama, Iraq War

In an attempt to bolster his “cut and run” strategy from Iraq, Barack Obama is touting Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s calls for a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. forces as further evidence his Iraq plan is superior to John McCain’s.

“What I’m also going to take into account is…prime minister Maliki saying that we should have a timetable for withdrawal,” Mr Obama told NBC television on Wednesday. “The American people believe we need a timetable [and] the Iraqi government believes that it’s ready to stand up and take on these responsibilities.”

It makes sense that he would appear on his campaign’s news channel (NBC) to make such a claim, but unfortunately for him it just doesn’t hold any water.

Maliki is only calling for a timetable for domestic reasons at home. It bolsters his credibility back home to be seen as fighting for Iraq, rather than doing whatever America wants. In the end, we’ll get exactly what we want, but the Prime Minister will be able to say at home that he did everything he could to end the “occupation.”

The elephant in the room for the Iraqi government is that they need us there, but in the Arab world it’s not cool to appear in favor of the occupation. Regardless of what Obama promises the left-wingers, America’s committment to Iraq will continue for decades and we’ll continue to have a troop presence their for decades.

Anyone that really believes we’re going to pull out of Iraq is living in a dream world. Nation building is not something you just turn on and off like a light switch.