Iraq PM Raises Possibility That US Might Be Asked To leave

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki raised the possibility that his country won't sign a status of forces agreement with the United States and will ask U.S. troops to go home when their U.N. mandate to be in Iraq expires at the end of the year.

Maliki made the comment after weeks of complaints from Shiite Muslim lawmakers that U.S. proposals that would govern a continued troop presence in Iraq would infringe on Iraq's sovereignty.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[RTIII]

Well, well, this just SMACKS of VICTORY!

Isn't victory defined, at present, as outlasting the insurgency until the Iraqi forces can take care of themselves?

Yes?!?!

Well, then, they're offering to make us VICTORIOUS!

Isn't this GREAT NEWS!

WHY OH WHY shouldn't Bush just jump for JOY over this news?!

TRULY, NO JOKING. This Is FANTASTIC NEWS. I'm disappointed that it happens to hand a positive outcome to this traitorous administration, but _I'll_TAKE_it._ Won't you?

[Sparty1]

I was wondering when they'd start wanting us to get the heck out. I'm sure that when Saddam was ruling, they didn't have to worry about getting blown up on a daily basis. Of course Saddam was a terrible tyrant, but they should've been the ones to take him out. Not us. The Iraqis aren't even paying to have their country rebuilt. We and our kids and their kids are going to be paying for this foolishness for a very long time. The Repubs amaze me at their blatant disregard for the folks over here. All they care about is keeping this war going so that they can keep making money. It's not about helping Iraq. When Barack says that 8 billion a month would get teachers a pay raise, help rebuild our infrastructure, etc they call him a LIBERAL! Like that's a bad word. I guess it's ridiculous to want to help us, but it's totally fine to keep this foolishness going in Iraq.

[FreeThinkn1]

There's a problem. A UN resolution and Bush executive order protects Iraq's money (about $30 billion) from international claims and is held in Federal Reserve Bank of New York . When the UN resolution ends, claims can be made against the money and it can be tied up in international courts for years. In addition, we made Iraq funnel all of its oil revenue through the same bank. The Iraqi government can access the money, but under the oversight of the UN, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund. It's pretty difficult to run a government without money, so they'll have to comply with Bush's wishes.

[watusi]

If we need bases in the middle east why not locate them in Israel?

[katzooks]

Because, in order to gain & hold control of the Iraqi oil fields (read that: steal), we have to set up permanent bases in Iraq. The groundwork for this U.S. colonization has already been laid, via our work in *rebuilding* Iraq. Problem is, the Iraqis don't want us there. And -- even tho their parliament has voted "no" to the U.S. occupation of Iraq -- Bush still won't take no for an answer.

"Come to the SOFA," said the spider to the fly.

Perhaps Bush knows, better than the Iraqis, what they want, otherwise, why would he want to force them (by hook or crook, much like our original invasion of Iraq), to agree to the SOFA (the Status Of Forces Agreement, aka permanent U.S. bases in Iraq), thereby forcing the Iraqis to surrender all hope of having anything vaguely resembling a sovereignty and/or democracy?

[BigMike75]

Trying to influence democracy at the end of an AK-47...smart excercise.

[DavidMG]

I've heard that a "Declartion of Independence" worked for one country.

Of course, that country has long forgotten its revolutionary roots and has become the worst colonizer and warmonger in world history. So perhaps there is another model to follow.

[SmellyOne]

Why do you lie?

[macintoshsauce]

Bush: "No, don't do it! If we do that then we can't get their oil and create a new kingdom."

[bola47]

what are they waiting for, just do it!

[esgabel]

I Concur!!!!!

[pudn52]

So...if they ask us to leave and we don't - we change from liberators to ??? Someone tell McBush here's our way out without losing face - which I realize it the most important thing to you both in the world - high above losing and maiming men and women from both the US and Iraq for ???

You can't even hear them when they speak - they don't want, can't use, despise, won't play the democracy game you keep trying to stuff down their throats.

Bring our people and $ back home.

[RobertaInCT]

Yankee Go Home!!!!!!!!!!

[messy]

Cool. I hope they do that.

[MissingAmerica]

There is never a good reason for war, and this is a clear example of it. The Iraqis have never had democracy and do not want it. They are about ruling, warring factions, and have been for over 2,000 years. It's time to stop trying to force ourselves onto the Iraqi people. It's time to bring our troops and 10B a month back home to better protect us and help us recover after this abominable administration.

[peterg76]

Iraqis have stood up to the war criminals, which is more than Nancy Pelosi has done, so I would say democracy is working for them. By the way, Iraq has been the most advanced civilization in the world at least twice in its history.

[blastocyst]

If we do not live our values, the world sees the hypocrisy and our moral standing and ability to stand as an example of liberty and justice, and we lose part of our power as a force for good in the world. The U.S. has a higher calling than to emulate the practices of dictators. It is power precisely to avoid giving despotic He was then released by Australian authorities. I also want to point out that one need not consult a constitutional lawyer. The language the constitution is mostly very clear and it really doesn't take much of an education to understand it. One must, however, actually read it for them Silvester beauty of his campaign is it is not about him at it is about we started we carried it to this point.... and we will carry it to the House simple message Enough is enough are done and finished with having the Constitution tread upon The beaut transgressed in a way that should be shocking to a Justice has been mostly trodden upon, and ignored O is the one who will represent Quintina, after all they were turned in by the Northern Alliance for a bounty. We have let go three Brits of Pakistani descent who were innocent. An Austina citizen was let go and returned to Australia after he signed an admission of goldbricking president should aspire to, and goes against the very things that the founding fathers risked their lives for. Tim Russet.

[willymanet]

Why are we forcing ourselves and troops on the Iraqis? Come to think about it, this aren't free, the tax payers will be paying almost $12B each month.

We are the ones paying the $12B/monthly price tag, plus wounded soldiers, plus dead soldiers, etc..and we are forcing ourselves on them?

America might think, they want to stay for the benefit and advantage of Iraq, but for Christ seek! Iraq said NO!. No means No!. We are trying to be more catholic than the Pope here.

I BRING THE TROOPS HOME!!

[borisgoodenough]

Let me see if I have this right. The Iraqi government -- which we helped to create on our watch and continues to exist only because we continue to prop it up -- thinks that our presence infringes on their sovereignty, and so may not want to let us remain.

As Microsoft said to Yahoo, "You can keep your stinking conditions. We are so outta here."

Works for me.

[HurryUp1212009]

how you got there doesn't matter; that it "works for you" is what matters. We're either going to leave because 75% of Americans want it, the Iraqi government wants it or because Al Sadr's militia run us out at the point of their guns. However it happens, the Bush/Cheney/McCain Iraqi disaster is going to end. Wonderful!

[Insideout143]

So much for McCain's hundred year war.