Al-Maliki: US can leave Iraq anytime they want...

[dgridley]

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki shrugged off U.S. doubts of his government's military and political progress Saturday, saying Iraqi forces are capable and American troops can leave "anytime they want."

At a news conference Saturday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said his government needs "time and effort" to enact the political reforms that Washington seeks.

One of his top aides, meanwhile, accused the United States of embarrassing the Iraqi government by violating human rights and treating his country like an "experiment in a U.S. lab."

Al-Maliki sought to display confidence at a time when pressure is mounting in Congress for a speedy withdrawal of U.S. forces. On Thursday, the House passed a measure calling for the United States to withdraw its troops by spring, hours after the White House reported mixed progress by the Iraqi government toward meeting 18 benchmarks.

During a news conference, al-Maliki shrugged off the progress report, saying that difficulty in enacting the reforms was "natural" given Iraq's turmoil.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/07/14/iraq.military.ap/index.html?

Maybe it's time to say, "See ya.. wouldn't wanna be ya"? I mean, when the US leaves the only thing we'll hear is the big sucking sound as everyone runs in to claim their piece of the pie and Iraq will go back to just another version of Saddam's Iraq (probably worse). But I'd take his statements as a clear sign the Iraqi government doesn't care much for the US presense.

What do YOU think?

 

[scopeweb]

Very intertesting!

Bring on a deeper civil war and the splitting of Iraq into three new countries!

 

[ApeXX]

That's absolute nonsense. We're having a hell of a time trying to keep their shabby government together with our troops there. Everything would just fall apart if we left this soon.

 

[CrazyTech]

The Iraqi's are politicians as well, so I wouldn't say this is anything more than a political statement.

 

[dgridley]

Of course that makes sense.. they are definitely walking a thin line.. on the one hand they need to appease the various segments of their own people and on the other get what the need from us without looking too much like a puppet. It's a hard job, no doubt. Good luck to them if their aim is an honorable one.

The Iraqi's are politicians as well, so I wouldn't say this is anything more than a political statement.

 

[CrazyTech]

I think it is to a degree. I mean for one they cannot appear to be a stooge of the US government so they need to come out and say some nasty little things against them to show that they have some degree of power.

Notice that he stopped short of saying we want them out (the US). It'll take time, but even a speech like this is a small step. You don't want them to show that these groups have you on the ropes whether you are or not. I want our boys and my friends and family out of there when the job is done, but I don't want them pulling out for a vacuum. No one involved deserves that regardless of what you felt about the war all along or not.

I'm not trying to turn this thread into a political debate, just making some observations about my hypothesis on these comments al-Malaki made.

 

[Ixix]

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki shrugged off U.S. doubts of his government's military and political progress Saturday, saying Iraqi forces are capable and American troops can leave "anytime they want."

At a news conference Saturday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said his government needs "time and effort" to enact the political reforms that Washington seeks.

One of his top aides, meanwhile, accused the United States of embarrassing the Iraqi government by violating human rights and treating his country like an "experiment in a U.S. lab."

Al-Maliki sought to display confidence at a time when pressure is mounting in Congress for a speedy withdrawal of U.S. forces. On Thursday, the House passed a measure calling for the United States to withdraw its troops by spring, hours after the White House reported mixed progress by the Iraqi government toward meeting 18 benchmarks.

During a news conference, al-Maliki shrugged off the progress report, saying that difficulty in enacting the reforms was "natural" given Iraq's turmoil.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/07/14/iraq.military.ap/index.html?

Maybe it's time to say, "See ya.. wouldn't wanna be ya"? I mean, when the US leaves the only thing we'll hear is the big sucking sound as everyone runs in to claim their piece of the pie and Iraq will go back to just another version of Saddam's Iraq (probably worse). But I'd take his statements as a clear sign the Iraqi government doesn't care much for the US presense.

What do YOU think?

i believe our govt is planning a 'face saving' exit....

 

[sibaong]

Hopeless?

It's far too late to avoid a violence, civil war or bloodbath in Iraq... with or without American troops there

 

[Ixix]

Hopeless?

It's far too late to avoid a violence, civil war or bloodbath in Iraq... with or without American troops there

It's a cycle...

We'll leave, the different factions will fight it out. One faction wins and does something to upset us, we go back in....meddle some more, violence errupts, we leave the different factions fight it out. One factioin wins and does something to upset us, we go back in....meddle some more, violence errupts, we...i'm sure you get it.