Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

The BBC is reporting that it's not actually what Maliki said, but either way, the timetable is hardly at all similar to Obama's. It's saying that after every single province is returned to provincial Iraqi control (still half left to go, and they're the hardest), US forces will withdraw from cities, and even then they'll still be in the country, and every 6 months that will be re-evaluated. It would probably take 5 years or so- probably even slower than McCain's plans- and it's not really firm dates for withdrawing.

Also, does Obama's proposal of withdrawing the troops that are on the ground, implementing the Petraeus strategy and leaving troops in bases with lowered troop levels to strike at insurgents sound like Rumsfeld's "light footprint" strategy to anyone else?

Obama cited this plan in his essay, suggesting we seize the moment. The essay then goes on to indicate Obama really doesn't understand what the plan was.

Obama is right anyway, we should take the plan. It isn't a withdrawal plan for Iraq so much as a timetable to withdrawal US forces from cities in Iraq, which would then facilitate a withdrawal. If Obama takes the plan, his base will feel betrayed because it isn't a real withdrawal plan, but in looking at the plan it sounds like a step in the right direction towards "mission accomplished."

So, Kevin Drum just put up a link to this. Basically it says that what Maliki said was different from the written release. Not sure what to make of it. I wonder if Malaki has been taking lessons from Kim Jong-il?

Wait, Galrahn, didn't Obama come out the other day and say something on the order of 16 months after election we'd be out of Iraq? He's saying contradictory things right now (I'll ask my generals, I'll tell them to be ready to leave within a year and a half of my taking office). It's mostly audience specific boilerplate. Who knows what this guy will do.

But I still don't know, having read the initial release and Obama's essay and the correction and Obama's other statements, how one can say that Obama is embracing Maliki's words. He hasn't really embraced anything since he changes what he says for the audience he's in front of. That's fine. A man can change his mind, weekly if he has to, and should be accorded the right to do so without being called a flipflopper until he's actually elected; but, that doesn't mean he's embraced the Maliki slower than McCain-Bush plan at all.

Obama hasn't changed much if any at all on Iraq. Perhaps to the literalists who stuggle to decode DCspeak he's confusing. What
was that Power said in March again? "Best case scenario";
"out as quickly and as responsibly as possible"; "as careful getting
out as careless as getting in." Take a look at the April Petraeus/Crocker Senate hearing.