Sun Jul 13, 10:30 AM Pacific • posted by Jed Lewison
Makes you want to throw stuff
WaPo reports on the apparent decision by U.S. and Iraqi negotiators to abandon their efforts to conclude a long-term status of forces agreement by July 31, opting instead for a short-term document focusing just on 2009. Funny how things fell apart just as soon as Nouri al-Maliki called for a timetable, eh?
Aside from the news about the status of forces agreement, the WaPo trots out this old yarn:
Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), the presumptive Democratic nominee, has said he would immediately begin withdrawing combat troops at a rate of one or two brigades a month, a pledge he has softened recently by saying he would consult with U.S. commanders on the ground. But he has said that after 16 months in office, the U.S. presence in Iraq would be far smaller than the 144,000 troops there now, with only a "residual" number remaining.
Sigh. What can you say? He's done no such thing. I think I'll channel me some John Cole.