Timetable

Republicans Disrespect Iraqi Democracy

Chris Weigant | Posted 12.26.2011

Read More: Tea Party, Parliament, Wmd, President Obama, John Boehner, Timetable, Status of Forces Agreement, War, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Mahdi Army, Obama, Mccain, Democracy, Iraq, Lindsey Graham, Strongman, Barack Obama, Withdrawal, Bush, Iran, Michele Bachmann, Chris Weigant, Sofa, Sadr, Mission Accomplished, Puppet, Iraq War, George W Bush, Republicans, Maliki, Politics News

Every current Republican gripe on the Iraq withdrawal boils down to a monumental refusal to face the reality of a full-fledged Iraqi democracy.

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Friday Talking Points [135] -- The Sky Is Falling!

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Al Qaeda, President Obama, Timetable, Iraq, Poll, Obama, Media, Mosque, Sky Is Falling, Freedom of Religion, Withdrawal, Media Catnip, Friday Talking Points, Bush, Blagojevich, Freedom of Speech, Muslim, Midotw, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Islam, park51, Msm, Timeline, Chicken Little, Barack Obama, Obama Is a Muslim, Mainstream Media, Religion, Mddotw, Combat Troops, Chris Weigant, Rod Blagojevich, Convicted, George W Bush, Christian, Ground Zero, Ground Zero Mosque, Politics News

The media, quite obviously, has lost any capacity it once may have had for self-examination, to say nothing of its sense of irony. Every so often, th...

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Obama's Iraq Withdrawal Timeline

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: White House, Pentagon, President Obama, Troops, Speech, Kept His Promise, Timetable, Perspective, Mccain, Obama, Media, Ptsd, Withdrawal, Veterans, Bush, Military, Sofa, Troop Level, Status of Forces, Promise, Combat Forces, John McCain, Status of Forces Agreement, American Forces, Context, Barack Obama, Soldiers, Deadline, Chris Weigant, Iraq War, Afghanistan, Iraq, Maliki, Milestone, Timetable for Withdrawal, Politics News

I have wondered why the White House hasn't been making some political hay over the success of the withdrawal timetable in Iraq. But I now see they wanted to roll this news out when people were actually paying attention.

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What's worse: Steele's Afghanistan comments or the reaction?

Josh Mull | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Michael Steele, Al Qaeda, Democrat, Petraeus, Anti-War, Timetable, Exit Strategy, Pakistan, DFH, 9/11, Conservative, Liberal, McGovern Amendment, Land War, Osama Bin Laden, Spencer Ackerman, Rnc, Rethink Afghanistan, Republican, Taliban, Afghanistan, Dnc, Safe Haven, Politics News

I am the Afghanistan Blogging Fellow for The Seminal and Brave New Foundation. You can read my work on The Seminal or at Rethink Afghanistan. The view...

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Does an Afghanistan Exit Strategy Hurt Our Allies?

Josh Mull | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Timetable, Exit Strategy, Allies, Pakistan, Nouri Al-Maliki, Iraq, Myths, Withdrawal, Kayani, Nato, Rethink Afghanistan, Taliban, Freedom Fighter, Afghanistan, Insurgents, Legitimacy, Republicans, July 2011, Senate, Militants, Politics News

A timetable for withdrawal is a good thing. Ignore the partisan myth-making and keep pressuring your representatives to hold Obama accountable and bring this war to an end.

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Iraq Milestones

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Civil War, Boycott, Kurd, Troops, Sunnis, Baath, Timetable, Status of Forces Agreement, Sectarian, Violence, Media, Withdrawal, Election, Iran, Soldiers, Military, Sofa, Chris Weigant, Odierno, Kurds, Iraq War, Troop Level, Iraq Election, Iraq, Milestone, Sunni, Politics News

For the first time since the war began, there are fewer than 100,000 American troops in Iraq.

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Max Baucus Has Only Himself To Blame

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: President Obama, Senate Finance Committee, Wasted Time, Timetable, Health Insurance Industry, Obama, Reform, Reid, Baucus, Obstructionism, Health Care, August, Committee, House, Finance Committee, Democrat, Congress, Bipartisan, Democrats, Barack Obama, Americas Health Insurance Plans, Insurance Industry, Chris Weigant, Health, Industry, Health Insurance, Max Baucus, Obstructionist, Harry Reid, Republicans, Ahip, Healthcare, Senate, Politics News

I have little sympathy for Baucus at this point, when he complains that his adversaries have had time to put out a report attacking his bill. Because there is one reason that they've had all that time.

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The Forgotten War

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: George Bush, US Military, President Obama, Pentagon, Troops, Timetable, Status of Forces Agreement, Forgotten War, War, American Troops, Iraq, Obama, US Troops, 2011, Barack Obama, Withdrawal, Bush, Military, 2010, Combat Troops, Troop, Deadline, Sofa, Chris Weigant, Afghanistan, Maliki, Politics News

No so very long ago, Afghanistan was known as "the forgotten war." But these days, Afghanistan is hard to miss in the headlines. Obama needs to begin talking about our newly-forgotten war: Iraq.

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The Beginning of the End of the Iraq War?

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Troops, President Obama, Timetable, Status of Forces Agreement, Obama, Election, 130000, Withdrawal, Barack Obama, Bush, Iraqi, Elections, Surge, Al-Maliki, Chris Weigant, Sofa, Iraq War, National Sovereignty Day, Iraq, Milestone, Maliki, Cities, Timetable for Withdrawal, World News

If our soldiers are out of Iraqi cities, and the Iraqi security forces start shouldering more and more responsibility as a result, do we really need all 130,000 troops sitting in their bases?

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First Milestone Approaches In Iraq Withdrawal Timetable

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Sectarian Violence, President Obama, Troops, Timetable, Sectarian, Obama, US Troops, Awakening, Shiite, Withdrawal, Bush, Military, Surge, Sofa, Kurds, Oil Revenues, Security, June 30, Article 24, Acceptible Level of Violence, War, Timeline, Status of Forces Agreement, American Troops, Barack Obama, Iraq War, Awakening Councils, Deadline, Combat Troops, Chris Weigant, Oil, Iraq, Maliki, Mosul, Timetable for Withdrawal, Cities, Sunni, World News

America pulling combat forces out of Iraqi cities is going to have multiple effects within the country. At this point, nobody can accurately predict what those effects are going to be with 100 percent reliability.

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A Close Look At The Iraq Status Of Forces Agreement [Part 1]

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

What I found is that the Iraqis got almost everything they had pushed for, and the Bush administration got almost nothing of what they wanted.

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Memo To Right-Wing: Withdrawal Timetable Now Doubleplusgood

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: War on Terror, War Wire, Timetable, Nineteen Eighty Four, Democratic, Failure, Iraq, Withdrawal, Bush, Memory Hole, Doubleplusungood, Iraqi, Sofa, Ministry of Truth, Status of Forces, Orwell, 1984, White Flag, Time Horizon, George Orwell, Democrat, Right Wing, Surrender, Democrats, Chris Weigant, Lose a War, Doubleplus, Hypocrisy, Doubleplusgood, Newspeak, Maliki, Timetable for Withdrawal, Aspirational Goal, On the Ground, Minitrue, Politics News

I'm on a lot of strange press lists, so I get a lot of strange press releases, but this is the first time I've ever gotten one from another dimension, I have to admit.

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Meet the Bloggers: Darcy Burner Can End the Iraq War Responsibly

ZP Heller | Posted 05.25.2011

When it comes to the Iraq war, the question is no longer whether the U.S. should end it, but how. On yesterday's Meet the Bloggers, special guest Darcy Burner made the case for A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq, which she co-authored earlier this year.

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Security Agreement WIth Iraq Said To Be Near

New York Times | ALISSA J. RUBIN and STEVEN LEE MYERS | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Warwire, US-Iraq Security Agreement, Iraq Withdrawal, Timetable, Iraq Security, Iraq, Iraq Timetable, Politics News

Iraq and the United States are close to a deal on a sensitive security agreement that Iraqi officials said on Wednesday satisfies the nation's desire ...

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NY Times Blows It On McCain Op-Ed

Lester Feder | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: David Shipley, John McCain, 2008, Timetable, New York Post, Op-Ed, Iraq Troop Withdrawal, New York Times, Iraq, Barack Obama, Home News

The whole point of McCain's rejected op-ed, published Tuesday in the New York Post, is that he doesn't think it is wise to offer the kind of Iraq statement that would satisfy the Times.

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At Last! The Immovable Object Meets An Irresistible Force

James Heffernan | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Obama, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, Timetable, Bush, McCain Iraq 100 Years, Maliki Obama, Nouri Al Maliki, Politics News

Imagine you're al-Malaki running for re-election, and you decide, like a good puppet, to run on a platform that promises indefinite foreign occupation. How many votes do you think you'd get?

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Friday Talking Points [39] -- Republican Elitism Edition

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Al Gore, Timetable, Cindy McCain, Gas Tax Holiday, Campaign, Withdrawal, Ubs, Tax Haven, N-Word, Pete Stark, Nuts, UBS Bank, 2008, Condoleezza Rice, Dennis Kucinich, Midotw, Nancy Pelosi, Contraception, Swiss Bank, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Carl Levin, Health Care, Override, Abortion, The Pill, Elitist, John Conyers, Impeach, Time Horizon, Private Plane, Barrel, Non-Carbon, Congress, Joe Biden, Green, 08, Imperial Presidency, Barack Obama, Election, Ted Kennedy, 08 Election, Elections, Birth Control, Mddotw, Elitism, Contraceptive, Maliki, Gas Prices, Impeachment, Iraq, Arizona, Diplomacy, Bush, Iran, Electricity, Elite, Phil Gramm, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, 2008 Campaign, Hhs, Health and Human Services, Offshore Account, John McCain, War, Let Them Eat Cake, 2008 Elections, Jesse Jackson, 2008 Election, Golf, 08 Campaign, 2008 Presidential Race, Aspirational Goals, Oil Prices, Medicare, Veto, Fundraising, Politics News

For only the fourth (or fifth, depending on how you count) time in his presidency, George W. Bush had a veto overridden by both houses of Congress thi...

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War Is Over (If Maliki Wants It)

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: October Surprise, Timetable, United Nations, Sovereignty, Iraq, Campaign, War Is Over if You Want It, Withdrawal, Bush, Iran, 2008, Sofa, Bridge Agreement, War Is Over, 2008 Campaign, Un, Status of Forces Agreement, Prime Minister, John McCain, Time Horizon, Yoko Ono, War, 2008 Elections, Democracy, 08, 2008 Election, Agreement, Barack Obama, Election, 08 Election, Elections, John Lennon, 08 Campaign, Sovereign, Bridge, Sadr, 2008 Presidential Race, Bilateral, Purple Finger, Nouri Al Maliki, Aspirational Goal, Politics News

Without a microscopic examination of the seething cauldron of Iraqi partisan politics, it's safe to say that Maliki knows which way the wind is blowing. The Iraqi people want to know -- "when is the U.S. leaving?"

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Obama Frames Iraq Right, Bush And McCain Slow To React

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Al Qaeda, Troops, Timetable, American, Iraq, Campaign, Withdrawal, Military, Surge, 2008, Occupation, 2008 Campaign, Status of Forces, Parliament, John McCain, War, 2008 Elections, Congress, Democracy, 08, 2008 Election, Surrender, Election, Barack Obama, 08 Election, Elections, 08 Campaign, 2008 Presidential Race, Maliki, Politics News

McCain's going to have to come up with some new spin to explain why Obama and Maliki are now singing from the same songbook on timetables for withdrawal.

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Friday Talking Points [38] -- Whiners And Cheeseheads

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: National Convention, Timetable, Pow, Fisa, Immunity, Campaign, Withdrawal, Telecom, Rnc, Nuts, 2008, Sofa, Mccain Flip-Flop, Dennis Kucinich, Midotw, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Status of Forces, Leni Riefenstahl, Football, Amnesty, Democrat, Nuremberg, 08, Acceptance Speech, Platform, Democrats, Barack Obama, Election, Sister Soulja, 08 Election, Stadium, Elections, Mddotw, Martin Luther King, Whiners, Maliki, Russ Feingold, Cheesehead, Speech, Senator, Impeachment, Iraq, Pittsburgh, Anniversary, Denver, King, Republican, Lion of the Senate, Phil Gramm, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, 2008 Campaign, Mental Recession, Green Bay Packers, John McCain, Mlk, Prisoner of War, 2008 Elections, Jesse Jackson, Green Eggs and Ham, 2008 Election, Teddy Kennedy, Recession, 08 Campaign, Convention, 2008 Presidential Race, I Have a Dream, Telecommunications, Medicare, Steve Schmidt, Flip Flop, Steelers, Broncos, Politics News

Welcome back to Friday Talking Points, after a one-week hiatus! While plenty has happened in the past two weeks which bears close and careful analysis...

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The Coming Together Of McCain And Obama On Iraq

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Doublethink, John McCain, Petraeus, Timetable, Iraq, 2008 Elections, Media, Campaign, 08, Policy, 2008 Election, Withdrawal, Election, Barack Obama, Foreign Policy, 08 Election, Iraq War, Middle, Elections, Troop Withdrawal, 08 Campaign, Surge, Troop, 2008, 2008 Presidential Race, Victory, 2008 Campaign, Politics News

McCain knows that the electorate wants America out of Iraq, even faster than Obama has proposed. He also knows that his ties to Bush's foreign policy are an albatross around his neck.

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