Two Iraqi officials say the U.S. and Iraq are close to a deal under which all American combat troops would leave by October 2010 with remaining U.S. forces gone about three years later.

A U.S. official in Washington acknowledges progress has been made on the timelines for a U.S. departure but offered no firm date. Another U.S. official strongly suggested the 2010 date may be too ambitious.

A timetable is part of a security agreement being negotiated by U.S. and Iraqi officials. Both sides stress the deal is not final and could fall apart over the issue of legal immunity for American troops.

One of the U.S. officials said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had a long and "very difficult" telephone conversation Wednesday in which she pressed the Iraqi leader for more flexibility, particularly on immunity.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080807/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_us_bases

[Edited on August 7, 2008 at 1:57 PM. Reason : .]

8/7/2008 1:57:37 PM

2100

8/7/2008 2:11:51 PM

cut'n'runners

8/7/2008 2:35:06 PM

so, best case scenario 2013-2014. and many insiders claim that's "too ambitious"




I wonder what happened to Rumsfeld and all the flowers?







[Edited on August 7, 2008 at 2:52 PM. Reason : ]

8/7/2008 2:51:52 PM

I think this is a positive all politics aside progression for the troops, Iraq, and even the Administration.

If its true and people are really working towards this effort, it really shows that while our presence there could provide continued stability, it may be our time to step down and allow Iraq to grow without us.

Politics aside this is policy interesting.

8/7/2008 3:38:43 PM

^^ I think they were reffering to romoving all cambat troops by 2010 as too ambitious, in that article anyway. Not sure if that is what you were getting at though.

8/7/2008 3:46:51 PM

But then won't the "insurgents" just come back after 2013?

8/7/2008 3:49:04 PM

this is great news

8/7/2008 4:32:58 PM

not gonna happen

8/7/2008 4:34:46 PM

but we're not finished drilling all their oil

8/10/2008 4:30:30 PM

Quote :

" this is great news "

what was billed as a walk in the park, greeted with flowers has turned into, at teh most optimistic assessment:

a 10 year war

5 years of continued military presence

2 trillion dollars

nation's economy in the tank

5000 dead soldiers

20,000 more us soldiers maimed, broken, debilitated.

tens of thousands of families devastated.

countless dead and maimed iraqis

global moral credibility completely squandered

yup...

Quote :

" this is great news "

[/GOP shill]

8/10/2008 4:58:42 PM