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How Do You Say “Yee-Ha” in Arabic?
Vodkapundit —
Good, we’re in it for at least the medium-haul : The Iraqi cabinet voted overwhelmingly Sunday to approve the security agreement that sets the conditions for the Americans’ continued presence in Iraq from Jan. 1 until the end of 2011. All but one of the 28 cabinet ministers who attended the two-and-a-half-hour session voted for the agreement and sent it to Parliament for consideration, a huge relief to the United States, which had been in intense negotiations with the Iraqis for nearly a year. I suppose the question is whether President Obama will go all cowboy and unilaterally ...
Iraqi cabinet approves security agreement with firm 2011 withdrawal deadline.
Think Progress —
... After nearly one year of negotiations, the Iraqi cabinet voted “overwhelmingly” Sunday to approve a security agreement requiring “coalition forces to withdraw from Iraqi cities and towns by the summer of 2009 and from the country by the end of 2011,” the New York Times reports. “An earlier version had language giving some flexibility to that deadline…but the Iraqis managed to have the deadline set in stone, a significant negotiating victory.” Earlier this month, the Times reported that Barack Obama’s victory ...
And That's That
Whiskey Fire —
... Does a timetable for withdrawal still mean "defeat"? Iraq’s
cabinet on Sunday overwhelmingly approved a proposed security agreement
that calls for a full withdrawal of American forces from the country by
the end of 2011. The cabinet’s decision brings a final date for the
departure of American troops a significant step closer after more than
five and a half years of war. What's weird is that this is not news, particularly, but in my encounters with people in the Real World nobody seems to know about it. That's probably to do with ...
The Early Word: Clinton(s) in Foggy Bottom?
The Caucus —
... that “they considered it improbable that Mr. Obama would have opened the door to Mrs. Clinton’s appointment without having decided, at least in principle, that he would like to make it happen.” The buzz comes just as the Iraqi cabinet approved a pact that would stipulate the removal of American troops from Iraq by 2011, and as Mr. Obama prepares to meet with his other former rival, Senator John McCain, today (Senator Lindsey Graham and Representative Rahm Emanuel are expected to sit in). However, it is former President Bill Clinton who is “apparently the most important ...
Bush Regime Reaches Agreement On Date Certain Timeline With Its Iraqi Puppets
DownWithTyranny! —
... The U.S. has legalistically occupied Iraq since 2003. Without an agreement extending that occupation with the puppetty Baghdad regime that Bush set up, U.S. troops and mercenaries would all have to leave by December 31... or extend the occupation without the legalistic fig leaf. Today there was an announcement that the Iraqi cabinet and the Bush Regime have come to an agreement. The Iraqi Parliament has to approve it but the U.S. Congress doesn't. However, Barack Obama needs to decide what to do starting in January. His own campaign promises included ...
Today's Photo Du Jour
JustOneMinute —
... And the caption: Iraqi policemen danced with a United States Army soldier in Baghdad on Sunday, the day Iraq’s cabinet approved a security pact. As Bush has said for years, when the Iraqis shake it up we will shake it down. Story here. Posted by Tom Maguire on November 17, 2008 | ...
Iraq nears accord for US withdrawal
Daily Kos —
It's their decision. Iraq’s cabinet on Sunday overwhelmingly approved a proposed security agreement that calls for a full withdrawal of American forces from the country by the end of 2011. The cabinet’s decision brings a final date for the departure of American troops a significant step closer after more than five and a half years of war. In Baghdad on Sunday, 27 of 28 members of Iraq’s cabinet present voted in favor of a new security pact with the United States. The proposed pact must still be approved ...
It depends on the meaning of 'aspirational'
Political Animal —
IT DEPENDS ON THE MEANING OF 'ASPIRATIONAL'.... By any reasonable measure, the SOFA-related developments in Iraq are encouraging. Iraq's cabinet on Sunday overwhelmingly approved a proposed security agreement that calls for a full withdrawal of American forces from the country by the end of 2011. The cabinet's decision brings a final date for the departure of American troops a significant step closer after more than five and a half years of war. The proposed pact must still be approved by Iraq's Parliament, in a vote scheduled to take place in a week. But ...
Ware On SOFA Negotiations: ‘Tehran Was In The Room’
Wonk Room —
... On Sunday, Iraq’s cabinet “overwhelmingly approved a proposed security agreement that calls for a full withdrawal of American forces from the country by the end of 2011.” The agreement now ...
CNN’s Michael Ware on Iraq withdrawal agreement: ‘Tehran was in the room.’
Think Progress —
... On Sunday, Iraq’s cabinet “overwhelmingly approved a proposed security agreement that calls for a full withdrawal of American forces from the country by the end of 2011.” Earlier today, the Wonk Room’s Matt Duss spoke to ...
Gates Keeper
Weekly Standard Blog —
... The new Iraqi deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. forces is 32 months, rather than the 16 Obama had promised during the primary, and it may well be possible to safely remove the bulk of U.S. forces by the end of 2011. What Gates can do is provide Obama with the cover to remove troops more quickly. Gates will be one of only a few voices who can credibly say that the facts on the ground allow for Obama's timeline -- that Obama isn’t threatening the gains made by U.S. troops. But Gates can also help provide Obama with the cover to move a little more slowly than his ...
Kagan: Status Of Forces Agreement Was ‘A Great Accomplishment For Us’ Because It’s ‘Opposed By Iran’
Think Progress —
... on the security agreement after criticizing it for months.” Indeed, before the vote, Iraqis won a major concession barring the United States from launching attacks on neighboring countries from Iraq, which is thought to have softened Iranian resistance to the deal. ...
Iraqi parliament approves SOFA
Political Animal —
IRAQI PARLIAMENT APPROVES SOFA.... Just 10 days ago, Iraq's cabinet overwhelmingly approved a security agreement with the U.S. that calls for a withdrawal of U.S. troops by the end of 2011. The measure then went to the Iraqi Parliament for approval, but success was not a given. As it turns out, it ...
LIttle Indications on Iran
democracyarsenal.org —
... Basically, this move would be welcomed by the Iranian government but might not go down so well with Neoconservatives, who have been strong supporters of the MEK for years. Combine this with reports that after Obama's election Iran backing off on its strong opposition on the Iraq SOFA and you really are starting to see a pattern of slowly improving relations. ...
