Please Barack Say It's Nonsense that You Tried to Stall Troop Withdrawal Until after the Elections

The New York Post is no friend of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Any knock of Obama by its editorial writers and op-ed columnists should be taken with the whole bag of salt. That's likely the case with this stunning allegation that's making its way around the internet courtesy of Post Columnist Amir Taheri. He alleges that in a private talk with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari during his visit to Iraq in July, Obama allegedly tried to talk Zebari and other Iraqi leaders into stalling the phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country.

The alleged reason for the Obama request for a foot drag on troop withdrawal says Taheri was to give him an election boost. The Post's Taheri allegedly says that Zebari says Obama put it this way, "He asked why we were not prepared to delay an agreement until after the U.S. elections and the formation of a new administration in Washington." If true, this would be politically duplicitous and cynical election tact. It would be a huge body blow to Obama in light of his oft repeated mantra that he wants the troops out of Iraq as quickly as militarily possible.

Obama has at times shaded the mantra and said that he'd rely on the commanders on the ground to determine the pace of the withdrawal. But even that wouldn't make the charge any less damaging to his credibility on Iraq -- again if the charge is true.

The Iranian-born Taheri who reports the alleged "private" conversation between Obama and Zebari has been roundly and repeatedly slammed as a rabid, political ax grinding neo-con shill. He may well be that and more. Still, the charge is out there, so Team Obama please say that it's nonsense.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His new book is How the GOP Can Keep the White House, How the Democrats Can Take it Back (Middle Passage Press, August 2008).

Comments

[burndtdan]

It's the Post. I wouldn't start freaking out until it is reported by anyone but the Fox News of print.

[harriscrl3]

New York Post??????????????

Check your source.

Carol

[milo h minderbinder]

I think it's telling that most of the major news sources aren't mentioning it at all...yet Fox News has it on the front page (and not surprisingly, the histrionic reader comments are saying he should be tried for treason).

I also notice that this article is no longer linked from the front page or the politics page, I wonder if the HP might even pull it once someone sees what a bogus "story" it is.

[milo h minderbinder]

Follow up...I figured out why all the comments on Fox news are so unilaterally harsh on Obama...

They have been deleting any comment defending Obama and leaving all the ones bashing him. At least any of the ones they post in the first place (I have seen a few get posted and then disappear).

What a farce, fox really isn't any more credible than tabloids like the Post - "fair and balanced" my ass.

[Navy VET EOD]

I agree with following up...on everything.

Who are the "other" Iraqi leaders? Is there any corroboration of facts here, or did Taheri talk only with Zebari?

As we've already seen in the case of Rafid Ahmed Alwan (AKA: Curveball), reliance upon one source can be very tricky business...and lead to potentially disastrous results.

[Rarignac]

The logical reason why Obama might ask Iraq to not rush into an agreement with the current administration is that the White House was attempting to negotiate a binding executive agreement "without congressional approval"which would hamstring the incoming president, whether McC or Ob, and commit the US to firm troop levels over many years to come. Obviously, this is something that neither the congress nor the next president would welcome. This hardly consists of Obama begging the Iraqis to delay an agreement to draw down US troops to preserve some kind of electoral advantage, but you can see why the NYPost would want to spin it that way.

[S1m0n]

Amir Taheri is the man behind 2006's lie about Iran forcing jews to wear distinctive clothing.

If you'll recall, the story was planted in the National Post, a newspaper owned by Canada's strongly pro-Israel Asper family, after someone at the Weisenthal center either colluded or was conned into providing confirmation. From there, the story was reported worldwide, only to be debunked as a total fabrication within 48 hours.

Here's a summary in Juan Cole's blog: http://www.juancole.com/2006/05/another-fraud-on-iran-no-legislation.html

Given his record, there is no good reason to take anything Taheri says as the truth.

[Gogetter]

This "secret talk" was reported on back in June by MSNBC including a quotes by Obama. The conversation was carried out over the phone before Obama's trip overseas, according the msnbc, and there was nothing underhanded about it. Essentially, Obama doesn't trust the Bush Admin to negotiate the Iraqi Agmt with consists of:

a Status of Forces agreement -- providing the legal basis for the continued presence and
operation of U.S. armed forces in Iraq once the U.N. Security Council mandate expires on December 31, 2008.

a Strategic Framework Agreement -- covering the overall bilateral relationship between the two countries. -- http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34568_20080711.pdf

Money quote by Obama: "My concern is that the Bush administration, in a weakened state politically, ends up trying to rush an agreement that in some ways might be binding to the next administration, whether it was my administration or Sen. McCain's administration."
This is what Obama told msnbc; Wow! what a cover up. This "stunning allegation" is just the NYPost trying to open a line of attack against Obama for the McCain camp.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/06/16/1146329.aspx

[riley85]

So calling the prime minister of Iraq a liar is a good place for Obama to be?
Everyone not in a stupor with love for Obama knows he went to Iraq already assuming he would be president. He has an ego problem and thought that self-serving Berlin speech would look presidential.

This time his arrogance went too far. He used the troops as a pawn manipilating their withdrawal not because he cared about the troops but because it helped his campaign. I believe the Prime Minister.

[milo h minderbinder]

The prime minister could be lying, the NYP reporter could be wrong. Really, your first assumption is that a story in a notoriously unreliable tabloid is right *this* time?

[RiseHillary]

Sounds like the Carter/Reagan campaign where it was alleged that Reagan made a deal with the Iranians not to release the hostages until after the election.............sure enough just after Reagan was inaugurated, Iran released the hostages.

[PixelMarx]

What I'm sure Obama was trying to get at, is if it was possible for the Iraqi government to delay and particular agreements that might tie the hands of the next president, considering that it's an election year. But right, you can't really trust the New York Post or this Iranian, so I think it's a non-issue.

[ichiro]

frankly, this story, essay, whatever, is full of holes and innuendo. probably written by a Mccain supporter. that is, this report by poster Hutchinson.

i am all for delaying a SOFA. nothing else has changed, yes there are nuances, but those were and always will be present --it's called reality, it's called LEADERSHIP.

[OverIt]

Of course it's nonsense. And he's already SAID it's nonsense. If you took some time to do your research instead of expressing your false outrage, you would know that. So let me do your job for you.

Source: http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0908/Obama_campaign_contests_Taheri_column.html#comments

The Obama campaign is challenging Amir Taheri's column in today's New York Post, which says that during his visit to Iraq, Obama asked Iraqi leaders to postpone a final agreement on U.S. troops until the next administration takes office.

...

An Obama aide accused Taheri of confusing the Status of Forces agreement with a Strategic Framework Agreement, for which Obama has pushed for congressional review.

"This article bears as much resemblance to the truth as a McCain campaign commercial. Barack Obama has consistently called for any Strategic Framework Agreement to be submitted to the U.S. Congress so that the American people have the same opportunity for review as the Iraqi Parliament," said Obama spokeswoman Wendy Morigi. "Unlike John McCain, he supports a clear timetable to redeploy our troops that has the support of the Iraqi government. Barack Obama has never urged a delay in negotiations, nor has he urged a delay in immediately beginning a responsible drawdown of our combat brigades."

[biggeranium]

Relax, everyone.

Taheri took part of a public statement made by Obama in June and spun it into something to distract people from the real issues.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/06/16/1146329.aspx

No one secretly asked the foreign minister to delay anything.

[arglebargle]

Hmmm. Since you're basically an African-American Lanny Davis, I have to ask....

...are you really "concerned" about this, or are you just doing your little part to help get this story out there?

[Freesia2]

Bingo. Thanks arglebargle. You said it shorter and sweeter than I was going to.

[SpoxLogic]

Even if it's a lie, which I believe it is, it's already out there. The only way to refute this is if the Iraqi Defense Minister comes out and says that Taheri is a liar.

Besides why would Obama want the troop withdrawal agreement delayed? A withdrawal would play into his hands since he was always for it.

[RiseHillary]

Shades of the Carter/Reagan campaign?

[graphite]

It is true, http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/06/16/1146192.aspx

[Camel54]

You're confusing the status of forces agreement with a timetable for troop reduction. Those are very different things and it has nothing to do with helping him in the election. The concern is about not binding the next president to an agreement made by a lame duck president in his final months.

[wendynyc]

And you believe the New York Post??