http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/world/17208009.htm?source=rss&channel=krwashington_world
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/10/AR2007051000387.html

Quote :

" 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. "

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/51624/

Quote :

" 144 lawmakers signed onto a legislative petition calling on the United States to set a timetable for withdrawal... previous attempts at a similar resolution fell just short of the 138 votes needed to pass (there are 275 members of the Iraqi parliament, but many have fled the country's civil conflict, and at times it's been difficult to arrive at a quorum). "

So how can Bush and the Republicans ignore this now? If we set up their Democracy, isn't it kind of a slap in the face to now ignore their democratic process?

It's also interesting that it's only NOW that they have reached this level of consensus on the withdrawal issues. That means prior to now, they didn't really want a withdrawal too badly.

Sorry I don't have a NewsMax source, for those of you who prefer your reality distorted.

5/11/2007 1:00:17 PM

Well, we said that we would do so if the Iraqi government requested it.

Or, if you want be cynical, maybe the Bush administration pushed the Iraqis to move this legislation forward so he has a face saving way to setup a time table without looking like he capitulated to Democratic demands. "We're doing this because the Iraqi people wanted us to, not because Democrats who want to cut and run were trying to force us to."

5/11/2007 1:11:25 PM

Thats awesome. B/c then we can pull out sooner, and when everything goes to shit we can't be to blame (at least not as much as before).

5/11/2007 1:12:15 PM

Quote :

"The most prominent political parties in Iraq -- such as Maliki's Dawa party; the Shiite group known as the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq; the Iraqi Islamic Party, a leading Sunni group; and prominent Kurdish factions -- appear to oppose setting specific dates for withdrawal"

Quote :

"There was also some disagreement over the terms of proposed timetable legislation. Kurdish lawmaker Mahmoud Othman told the Associated Press he had agreed to back the measure on the condition that it included an accompanying timeline for the buildup of Iraqi forces, but this was not included in the draft. Othman called the omission a "deception.""

It's a draft bill, so it doesn't mean anything. It barely had majority support, and evidently that support isn't very secure. Looks like many Iraqis want a withdraw timetable that is based up Iraqi security force buildup and readiness. This is nothing like what the Democrats have pushed. Did you actually read any of this? Or is it easier just to cherry pick some stuff so you can bash Bush. How are we ignoring their democratic process when their government wants us their still? Moron.

5/11/2007 1:15:10 PM

Quote :

" It's a draft bill, so it doesn't mean anything. "

So draft bills are completely meaningless? This doesn't in any way indicate the direction that Iraq is turning?

Quote :

" It barely had majority support, and evidently that support isn't very secure."

So if something has shaky majority support that means we can just ignore it then and go the other way?

Quote :

" Did you actually read any of this? Or is it easier just to cherry pick some stuff so you can bash Bush. How are we ignoring their democratic process when their government wants us their still? Moron."

It must be nice to just be able to imagine what someone posts, then respond to that, instead of reality. Please show me where I bashed Bush, and point out how posting the first sentence of the article is "cherry picking."

And how does a bill that says "we want a withdrawal" equal to "the iraqis still want us there"? It's complete delusion on that level (worse, actually) that has earned Bush his record low approval ratings.

5/11/2007 1:29:42 PM

there will be a civil war in Iraq with or without us......some would say it's already happening.

From what i gather, the smaller factions in Iraq want us to stay to protect them from the majority shiites that will most likely take over by force if we leave.

5/11/2007 1:49:54 PM

Quote :

"And how does a bill that says "we want a withdrawal" equal to "the iraqis still want us there"? It's complete delusion on that level (worse, actually) that has earned Bush his record low approval ratings."

Again, read the article.. or is that really to much to ask? The articles says all the major parties want us there until their security forces are ready. Not hey lets start leaving in November whether the Iraqis are ready or not...

And again, shaky support is important when the actual bill hasn't come up yet! Again, the article from the Washington Post quotes an Iraqi lawmaker as saying that he was lied to and told that the bill would state they wanted a time table for withdraw only if it was tied the progress of Iraqi security forces.

Not to mention the Prime Minister doesn't support it...

5/11/2007 4:33:43 PM

5/11/2007 4:41:43 PM

Quote :

"Again, read the article.. or is that really to much to ask? The articles says all the major parties want us there until their security forces are ready. Not hey lets start leaving in November whether the Iraqis are ready or not... "

Again, read my post, where did I ever say that we should start leaving in November? Where did I even imply that?

Quote :

"And again, shaky support is important when the actual bill hasn't come up yet! Again, the article from the Washington Post quotes an Iraqi lawmaker as saying that he was lied to and told that the bill would state they wanted a time table for withdraw only if it was tied the progress of Iraqi security forces. "

What's your point? A timetable for withdrawal is a timetable for withdrawal. What's the relevance of it it has the Iraq security readiness or not? That's the beauty of a draft bill, they can make revisions to suit more groups. It's highly unlikely though that this draft bill is going to lose steam, it can only gain steam.

Quote :

" Not to mention the Prime Minister doesn't support it... "

Well, it looks like he's going to have a fight on his hands with his Parliament that they'll have to work out.

5/12/2007 2:02:44 AM

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17722026

An interesting primer to the Iraqi mess if you're interested. Particularly points out many of the larger regional issues that are in play. What we have is not just a civil war but an entire regional conflict. Whether or not you agree with the reporter's conclusion about a withdrawal of US forces, it does help frame the issue in a larger light.

5/13/2007 8:46:12 PM

me last month:

Quote :

"my guess is that there will be a deal and a bill will be passed funding the troops for a limited time and then there will be some sort of built-in re-evaluation to see how the current plan is working (perhaps until september -- that is the date the bush admin has been saying for when the current surge should be judged to see if it works) 4/28/2007 7:52:15 PM"

and whaddya know, current funding is good through september.

5/24/2007 3:04:28 PM

^^^^

Quote :

" An internal Army study of the war in Iraq has confirmed that the infamous toppling of the statue of Saddam Hussein in Firdos Square in central Baghdad on April 9, 2003 was stage-managed by American troops and not a spontaneous reaction by Iraqis. According to the study, a Marine colonel first decided to topple the statue, and an Army psychological operations unit turned the event into a propaganda moment."

[Edited on May 24, 2007 at 3:51 PM. Reason : .]

5/24/2007 3:47:44 PM

how come people who make photos like that cant use something better than MS Paint?

5/24/2007 3:52:22 PM

omg US tanks encircled the plaza; conspiracy right there!!

5/24/2007 4:04:25 PM

The whole thing with not many people really giving a damn about the statue falling does not surprise me one bit. I wouldnt be surprised to learn that none of the Iraqi's ever viewed us as liberators.

5/24/2007 8:07:25 PM

Quote :

"Well, we said that we would do so if the Iraqi government requested it."

5/24/2007 8:10:56 PM