Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki is demanding a "specific deadline" for all US troops to exit his country, including residual forces, something John McCain has stridently disavowed. George Bush wanted to avoid the terms "deadline" or "timeline" but if he accepts Iraq's demands, what will McCain say then? His balls are clearly in this vise as well.
The beauty of it is that Obama had called for specific deadlines long ago and who are we to argue with Maliki considering we spend how many millions per day in his country? Barack Obama is already solving America's problems and he isn't even president yet!
George Bush and Dick Cheney must be gnashing their teeth at having to fore-go their cute little "time horizon" scheme or else this thing goes to the UN (in which case John Bolton's head might explode).
The question I have is this: why did it take 4 years of failed Rumsfeldian policies for Republicans to start a counter-insurgency strategy in Iraq? Oh nevermind, we're talking about the same Republicans that managed Katrina.
Anyway, here's the article:
Iraq PM: 'All Troops Out By 2011'
Last week, US and Iraqi officials said the two sides had agreed tentatively to a schedule which included a pullout of forces by the end of 2011.
A residual US force was agreed to remain behind to continue training and advising the Iraqi security forces. [snip]
Now it appears that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki is not happy with the provisional agreement.
"There can be no treaty or agreement except on the basis of Iraq's full sovereignty," he said.
He added that such an agreement must be based on the principle that "no foreign soldier remains in Iraq after a specific deadline, not an open time frame".
I had to use Skynews because they are the only ones besides the Associated rePress with this news per my initial google search.