Doesn't He Mean a Schedule for Defeat?

Some politicians never seem to learn that a timetable equals marking a date for "defeat and retreat." It would be as good as throwing up a white flag, tucking our tail between our legs, turning over Iraq to the militants, and telling al Qaeda to just come and get it.  Who, knowing it would spell doom for the government of Iraq, would suggest such a thing?

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki raised the prospect on Monday of setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops as part of negotiations over a new security agreement with Washington.

Oh.

With the UN mandate that sanctions the US presence in Iraq running out at the end of this year, negotiations for a "status of forces" agreement have been underway for some time.  John McCain and Bush officials have been looking at this as a chance to secure the next hundred years of US troops in Iraq.  The Iraqis seem to see it another way.

"Today, we are looking at the necessity of terminating the foreign presence on Iraqi lands and restoring full sovereignty," Maliki told Arab ambassadors in blunt remarks during an official visit to Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates.