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More Maliki
Ben Smith's Blog — ... statement -- timed, as a reader points out, for maximum effect, coinciding as it does with Obama's visit to Iraq, anchors on the road with Obama, etc. -- is clearly a major moment in the race. One quick caveat, via the Times: "A spokesman for the Iraqi prime minister has issued a statement saying his remarks were 'misunderstood and mistranslated,' but did not address a specific error." (Second lost-in-translation moment like this. Meanwhile, McCain tries to make the best of it, arguing that the surge -- which he backed, and Obama opposed -- ...

McCain's Way Forward
The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan — Here's a response to Malaki by Randy Scheunemann, McCain's foreign policy adviser, from earlier this evening: The difference between John McCain and Barack Obama is that Barack Obama advocates an unconditional withdrawal that ignores the facts on the ground and the advice of our top military commanders. John McCain believes withdrawal must be based on conditions on the ground. Prime Minister Maliki has repeatedly affirmed the same view, and did so again today. Timing is not as important as whether we leave with victory and honor, which is of no apparent ...

Links for 2008-07-19 [del.icio.us]
FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog — ... policy, the United States would have already withdrawn from Iraq in a humiliating defeat at the hands of al Qaeda.” Marc Ambinder (July 19, 2008) - McCain Campaign Responds To Al-Maliki "His domestic politics require him to be for us getting out," said a senior McCain campaign official, speaking on the condition of anonymity."The military says 'conditions based' and Maliki said 'conditions based' yesterday in the joint statement withBush Marc Ambinder (July 19, 2008) - Scheunemann's Turn The fundamental truth remains that ...

links for 2008-07-20
FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog — ... (tags: iraq mccain georgewbush iraqwar barack_obama) Marc Ambinder (July 19, 2008) - Scheunemann’s Turn The fundamental truth remains that Senator McCain was right about the surge and Senator Obama was ...

Maliki Endorses Withdrawal - Snares For All
JustOneMinute — ... , good new from Iraq is bad news for McCain. Obama can now make the same argument Bush's defenders have made for years - regardless of how we got here, the key question is, what do we do going forward. There will come a day when withdrawing our troops will be the right way to demonstrate our success in Iraq. If Obama is lucky, and despite his lack of support for the effort, that day has arrived. As to snares - obviously, (see Marc Ambinder ) McCain will want to trumpet the fact that his judgment on the surge was better. One might think that the man who advocated the plan ...

7/21: Maliki Madness
Blogometer — ... the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes.' Asked if he supported Obama's ideas more than those of John McCain, Republican presidential hopeful, Maliki said he did not want to recommend who people should vote for. 'Whoever is thinking about the shorter term is closer to reality. Artificially extending the stay of U.S. troops would cause problems.'" IRAQ II: You Can't Spin Your Way Out Of This One, McCain Liberal bloggers panned the McCain camp's response to Maliki's remarks, which was written by McCain's foreign policy adviser Randy ...