troop withdrawal

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Iraq Sands Shifting Under McCain Position
Iraq Sands Shifting Under McCain Position
ANALYSIS

Iraq Sands Shifting Under McCain Position

Move by Bush, Maliki toward timetable is 'devastating blow'

(Newser) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain is stuck in an awkward position after both President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki moved closer to a withdrawal timetable favored by Barack Obama, Politico notes. McCain has opposed such a measure, but in 2004 asserted that if a sovereign Iraqi government asked...

Maliki Uses US Politics to Gain Iraqi Leverage
Maliki Uses US Politics to Gain Iraqi Leverage
ANALYSIS

Maliki Uses US Politics to Gain Iraqi Leverage

'Let's squeeze them,' the PM is said to have proposed

(Newser) - The Iraqi PM’s endorsement of Barack Obama’s withdrawal timetable Saturday (walked back somewhat under pressure) was a calculated maneuver by a man who has figured out how to play US politics for his country's gain, Robert Reid writes for the AP. Nouri al-Maliki started using it as leverage...

Obama Arrives in Iraq
 Obama Arrives in Iraq 

Obama Arrives in Iraq

Candidate to meet with commanders and troops on third leg of world tour

(Newser) - Barack Obama landed in Basra today and headed to Baghdad for the latest leg of his world tour, the Washington Post reports. The candidate, who made a brief stop in Kuwait last night after 2 days in Afghanistan, will meet with US commanders and Iraqi officials and speak with US...

Maliki Backs Obama Iraq Plan
 Maliki Backs Obama Iraq Plan 

Maliki Backs Obama Iraq Plan

Iraq PM says a 16-month schedule to withdraw sounds about right

(Newser) - While shying away from a presidential endorsement, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki expressed support for Barack Obama’s 16-month timeline for withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, Der Spiegel reports. He expressed frustration at his country’s lack of control over US forces and said they should leave "as...

Iraq Backs Barack, Despite Pullout Fears

Many alarmed by Obama's troop withdrawal timetable

(Newser) - Barack Obama is widely popular in Iraq, despite deep concerns about his plans to withdraw American troops, reports the New York Times. Iraqis around the country expressed admiration for Obama and believe he would be a major improvement over President Bush—but also worry that his proposed 16-month withdrawal timetable...

US Weighs Faster Iraq Withdrawal
US Weighs Faster Iraq Withdrawal 

US Weighs Faster Iraq Withdrawal

Need for troops in Afghanistan may drive unexpected shift

(Newser) - US officials in Washington and Baghdad may pull as many as three brigades from Iraq by the time George Bush leaves office, the New York Times reports. The move, driven in part by a need to bolster the American presence in Afghanistan, could remove far more troops than seemed likely...

Obama's 'Modest But Real Step' Makes Good Iraq Sense

Sticking to withdrawal policy ignores facts on the ground

(Newser) - Charging that the Democrat's position had become “outdated,” the Washington Post editorial board applauds Barack Obama’s recent promise to “refine” his Iraq policy after consulting with commanders. His previous “strident and rigid posture”—that all combat forces be withdrawn during his first 16 months...

Iraq Minister Demands Exit Timetable

Foreign minister Rubaie won't accept a US security deal without one

(Newser) - Iraq won’t accept any security deal that doesn’t include strict guidelines for a US withdrawal, National Security Adviser Mouwaffak al-Rubaie said today. The US waved off similar statements from Nouri al-Maliki yesterday, saying they didn’t believe the Iraqi PM really wanted a timetable, but Rubaie’s comments...

Obama Restates Iraqi Plan After Charges of Flip-Flop

Says he remains committed to withdrawing troops in 16 months

(Newser) - Barack Obama today reaffirmed his commitment to withdraw American troops from Iraq in 16 months, hours after being accused of backtracking on that pledge. Obama triggered a flurry of speculation—and ridicule from the McCain camp—by saying earlier in the day he might "refine" his war policies after...

McCain: Bringing Troops Home 'Not Too Important'

Harry Reid slams GOP nominee for comment

(Newser) - John McCain said this morning on the "Today" show not only that can’t he provide an estimated date for US troops’ homecoming from Iraq, but that it’s “not too important. What’s important is the casualties.” The statement provoked an instantaneous response from Harry Reid,...

McCain: Obama Should Tour Iraq

Illinois senator hasn't been since '06; McCain proposes joint trip to 'educate' him

(Newser) - John McCain hammered at Barack Obama's Iraq credentials yesterday, knocking the Democrat in an AP interview for not having set foot in the country since 2006—and proposing a joint trip so that he could "educate Senator Obama." Obama hasn't witnessed firsthand the benefits of the troop surge,...

Quick Iraq Exit Would Trigger New 9/11: Bush

It would 'embolden' US enemies, prez says

(Newser) - A withdrawal from Iraq next year would be a disaster that would likely trigger another 9/11, President Bush warns in an interview with Politico. "It would shake everybody's nerves. It would embolden the very same people we're trying to defeat" and "would eventually lead to another attack on...

Dems Assail McCain on War
Dems Assail McCain on War

Dems Assail McCain on War

Obama would defy Petraeus to withdraw; DNC ads knock Mac's '100 years' in Iraq

(Newser) - Barack Obama and John McCain clashed over Iraq today, as the DNC readies an ad campaign criticizing McCain's now-infamous remark about keeping troops in Iraq for 100 years. In a Fox News interview, Obama pledged to withdraw troops from Iraq even if Gen. David Petraeus advised against it. But the...

Bush Backs Petraeus' Pause
 Bush Backs Petraeus' Pause 

Bush Backs Petraeus' Pause

President warns Iran against arming Iraqi militants

(Newser) - Vowing that Gen. David Petraeus will have “all the time he needs” in Iraq, President Bush today announced a pause, from August until at least mid-September, in withdrawal of troops from Iraq, CNN reports. Citing the post-surge security gains, Bush said, “we have renewed and revived the prospect...

Petraeus Sees No New Troop Buildup in Iraq

General wraps up two days of testimony before Congress

(Newser) - Gen. David H. Petraeus told the House Armed Forces Committee today that he does not foresee another buildup of US armed forces in Iraq, calling the possibility of a new surge "a pretty remote thought in my mind." If violences escalates again, the Army will make do with...

Petraeus Grilling Moves to House

Dems lay into lack of progress in Iraq; he gives few details on plans

(Newser) - Gen. David Petraeus' visit to Capitol Hill continues today, with House members getting their chance to grill the top US commander in Iraq and Ambassador Ryan Crocker. Democrats on the Armed Service Committee were vocal in their frustration about the war’s progress, even as Petraeus and Crocker were unyielding...

Combat Tours to Be Cut
 Combat Tours to Be Cut 

Combat Tours to Be Cut

Tours of duty to be cut back to 12 months; Congress to hear troop cut proposals

(Newser) - American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are to have their combat tours cut from 15 months to 12 beginning late this summer. The White House plans a formal announcement next week, an insider told the AP. Tours were lengthened last year to boost troop levels in Iraq, and the Army...

1,000 Iraqis Deserted Basra Battle

Officers and men fled or balked as government battled militias

(Newser) - Desertions from Iraqi forces during last week's Basra battles have raised fresh doubts about the effectiveness of the country's US-trained security forces, the New York Times reports. Over 1,000 soldiers and policemen—including dozens of officers—either deserted or refused to fight. The US has linked American troop withdrawals...

John Murtha, War Critic, Backs Clinton

Congressman says Hillary has 'similar position' on Iraq

(Newser) - John Murtha, the Pennsylvania congressman who has become a leading critic of the Iraq war, is endorsing Hillary Clinton for president, CQ Politics reports. “I know that Senator Clinton has a similar position that I have in regards to the war in Iraq,” Murtha said. While both he...

Iraq Pullout Would Spur Genocide: Mac

He's off to sell world view on international tour

(Newser) - John McCain charged yesterday that early withdrawal from Iraq proposed by both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton would  trigger "genocide" across the region. He launched his latest attack on his Democratic rivals on the eve of his planned international tour to Britain, France, Israel, Jordan and possibly Iraq to...

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