Iraq May Hold Vote On U.S. Withdrawal

Iraq May Hold Vote On U.S. Withdrawal

www.washingtonpost.com

BAGHDAD, Aug. 17 -- U.S. troops could be forced by Iraqi voters to withdraw a year ahead of schedule under a referendum the Iraqi government backed Monday, creating a potential complication for American commanders concerned about rising violence in the country's north.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's move appeared to disregard the wishes of the U.S. government, which has quietly lobbied against the plebiscite. American officials fear it could lead to the annulment of an agreement allowing U.S..

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American officials fear it could lead to the annulment of an agreement allowing U.S. troops to stay until the end of 2011, and instead force them out by the start of that year.

The Maliki government's announcement came on the day that the top U.S. general in Iraq proposed a plan to deploy troops to disputed areas in the restive north, a clear indication that the military sees a continuing need for U.S. forces even if Iraqis no longer want them here.

well is obama wont do what he promised maybe iraq will do it for him. it is long past time we brought our troops home and it looks like maybe will will have no choice.

sadly, they probably wont come home but will end up in afganistan.

i am actually sick of this crap. obama dropped the ball on the war issue and it appears he will continue to.

but hey, one step in the right direction at a time.

www.washingtonpost.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 18-8-2009 by Animal]

We need to bring all our troops home now!!

Enough of these wars tptb get our men involved in, for what purpose??

We never gain anything, we lose plenty!!! Our Troops!!

So many countless lives lost, for nothing!!! IMO!

I'm with you on this one.

Bring them home.

These wars have got to stop. IMO, it doesn't take an infinity to train Iraqi and Afghanistan troops on how to protect their own. Stabilize the place and get out.

It can't happen too soon. Bring our troops home and give them some R&R. Staying there any longer will only put off any inevitable problems they still have. On top of all that, we can't afford it, in fact we should send a bill for about 500B for getting rid of Saddam. I feel for the Iraqis. I wouldn't want an invading army occupying my country either, but a little gratitude would be nice.

Go Iraqi congress!So much for obama's withdrawl promise.Somebody get our troops out NOW!

I'm all for bringing our troops home, but it's easier to get into a war than to get out. If we leave right now, there will almost certainly be civil war. You may feel, "Fine, let them kill each other instead of our soldiers", and I'd be inclined to agree with you, but the chaos won't necessarily remain within the Iraqi borders.

Many governments in that region are holding on by the skin of their teeth, barely able to maintain power. If one country becomes instable, others may follow - and if that happens, then we lose our oil supply.

The US is pathetically addicted to petroleum and automobiles. It will do anything to maintain a steady supply, as we've already seen. The US is very much like a crack ho, but less honest about it. She needs that oil, and she will let nothing get in her way of having it.

Remember, Iraq didn't exactly invite us to come in the first place. If they vote us out and it appears our oil supply might be threatened, there is no way we'll pull out. We'll just claim the vote was rigged, doesn't represent the "will of the people", and get a leader in there who will dance to our tune.

Cynical? Moi??

ya last i herd iraq was making some nice cash from oil profits. makes me wonder why we dumped so much of OUR nations wealth into their country. granted we did break it, no we SMASHED it, but still, it makes me angry we are in such dire straights today and have so little to show for it.

i am also sick of obama for talking so big and acting so little. while i am in no way a perfect or even ideal representation of honor and dignity i do very clearly remember my mo telling me, all the time: actions speak louder than words. and i try, every day, to remember that and act on it. maybe my mom needs to sit obama down and have a little chat with him.

our troops pay the price of our officials poor decisions with their health and lives. we the people pay with the lives of our loved ones and their well being and the well being of our families. we also pay with OUR hard earned money.

for all the talk of honor and justice we sure do seem to get screwed every which way.

GOOD! Bring 'em home. If the people of Iraq think they no longer need our troops to patrol and to keep the terrorists, and Saddams henchmen, in line ... bring 'em home.

Iraq has to stand on it's own feet and they cant' do that if we are still there.

reply to post by Animal


yup here it is:

GAO: Iraq's oil profits huge as U.S. bears reconstruction load

In its report on efforts to stabilize and reconstruct Iraq, the Government Accountability Office steered clear of the politics of who pays for what. But it left little doubt that Iraq, which racked up $32.9 billion in oil earnings from January through June, can afford to pay more for its own reconstruction.

The GAO estimates that Iraq will earn $67 billion to $79 billion in oil sales this year, twice the average annual amount of revenue that it generated from oil sales from 2005 through 2007. This windfall comes despite the fact that Iraq is still struggling to approach pre-invasion oil-production levels.

long past time we the people stopped paying for the mistakes of our leaders. if the world has such a huge problem with the results of this war, take it up with bush co, not me [us].

[edit on 18-8-2009 by Animal]