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Al-Maliki Casts His Lot With A Pliant Obama
IBD Editorials ^ | July 24, 2008 | Charles Krauthammer

Posted on 07/24/2008 6:19:34 PM PDT by Kaslin

In a stunning upset, Barack Obama this week won the Iraq primary. When Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki not once but several times expressed support for a U.S. troop withdrawal on a timetable that accorded roughly with Obama's 16-month proposal, he not only legitimized the plan.

He relieved Obama of a major political liability by blunting the charge that, in order to appease the MoveOn left, Obama was willing to jeopardize the astonishing success of the surge and risk losing a war that is finally being won.

Maliki's endorsement left the McCain campaign and the Bush administration deeply discomfited. They underestimated al-Maliki's sophistication and cunning.

What is al-Maliki thinking? Clearly, he believes that the Iraq War is won. Al-Qaida is defeated, the Sunni insurgency is in abeyance, the Shiite extremists are scattered and marginalized.

There will, of course, be some continued level of violence, recurring challenges to the authority of the central government and perhaps even mini-Tet offensives by both Shiite and Sunni terrorists trying to demoralize U.S. and Iraqi public opinion in the run-up to their respective elections.

But in al-Maliki's view, the strategic threats to the unity of the state and to the viability of the new democratic government are over.

Al-Maliki believes his armed forces are strong enough to sustain the new Iraq with minimal U.S. help.

He may be overconfident, as he has been repeatedly in estimating his army's capacities, most recently in launching a somewhat premature attack on militias in Basra that ultimately required U.S. and British support to succeed. And he is certainly more confident of his own capacities than is Gen. David Petraeus.

(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: almaliki; foreignpolicy; iraq; maliki; obama

1 posted on 07/24/2008 6:19:34 PM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

this doesn’t even make sense!

this twit maliki lives in the green compound and doesn’t venture out.

yet, he throws his support to the u.s. presidential candidate that’s going to pull

the troops out of iraq and make maliki’s life even more precarious.


2 posted on 07/24/2008 6:22:59 PM PDT by ken21 (people die and you never hear from them again.)
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To: Kaslin

People can read tea leaves about who is going to win the election and it’s better to back the winner. If he backs Obama he at least has a chance of being able to get out of Iraq if things go to h*ll. If he backed McCain and Obama wins he’s guaranteed to be on his own. If McCain wins his position is unchanged, so he’s pretty safe. If the tide turns againt Obama watch Maliki position change.


3 posted on 07/24/2008 6:25:14 PM PDT by airedale ( XZ)
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To: ken21

What was the name of he South Vietnamese dictator the Dems had bumped off in the early 60s because he became difficult? Diem, something like that?

al Maliki is playing a dangerous game. He will become an unnecessary annoyance when he attempts to cash in his chips in the event the Dems win the 08 election.


4 posted on 07/24/2008 6:27:58 PM PDT by surely_you_jest ( Obamarrhoids are a pain in the ass . . . .)
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To: ken21

I think Obama’s a Sunni. Remember his father was a Muslim Arab


5 posted on 07/24/2008 6:28:26 PM PDT by Pinetop
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To: Pinetop
Yes, he is a Sunni. Barak is Swahili for Mubarak
6 posted on 07/24/2008 6:29:39 PM PDT by flyfree
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To: Kaslin
I don't give a crap about Iraq. It served it's purpose after 9/11, i.e., terrorists came and ran in front of our bullets while America maintained the best enemy to US military death ratio in war history.

Let's find some more to kill.


7 posted on 07/24/2008 6:30:13 PM PDT by I see my hands (_8(|)
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To: Kaslin
Or Maliki is preparing to make a separate deal with Iran, retaining Iraq's nominal independence, but join the rising Persian sphere of influence betting that Obama will both withdraw from Iraq and do nothing but soft talk to Iran's hard power.
8 posted on 07/24/2008 6:30:17 PM PDT by Truth29
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To: Kaslin
Al-Maliki believes his armed forces are strong enough to sustain the new Iraq with minimal U.S. help.

What a small minded fool this nut case is. Does he have any idea the power that Iran has. If we left, it would be a 2 day war. The survival of Iraq depends on the threat that if attacked by Iran, we would crush Iran. Here is the catch. If we leave, the American people will never let us go back in if they are attacked, insurgents or by Iran.

9 posted on 07/24/2008 6:30:17 PM PDT by Logical me (Oh, well!!!)
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To: Pinetop

I should have said his father was. Barak born Muslim but his mother didn’t raise him as one, and his father(s) abandoned him. As did his mother from time to time.


10 posted on 07/24/2008 6:30:40 PM PDT by flyfree
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To: surely_you_jest; Pinetop

maybe some shia will put a bullet in his head

or more likely blow his mercedes up.


11 posted on 07/24/2008 6:31:42 PM PDT by ken21 (people die and you never hear from them again.)
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To: flyfree
As did his mother from time to time.

She knew him better than anyone. For a time, at least . . . .

12 posted on 07/24/2008 6:33:02 PM PDT by surely_you_jest ( Obamarrhoids are a pain in the ass . . . .)
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To: Kaslin
Kautherhammer had this one wrong. Maliki did not endorse Obama plan depsite what the media has been reporting.
13 posted on 07/24/2008 6:39:52 PM PDT by jveritas (God Bless President Bush and our brave troops)
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To: Truth29

The quicker we leave,the quicker Maliki aligns with Iran.
The Sunnis are now armed and financed, so look for a rocky transition.


14 posted on 07/24/2008 6:55:04 PM PDT by soupcon
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To: Kaslin

* Speeches in stadiums filled with mesmerized, adoring audiences - Check
* An uninspiring background before meteoric rise - Check
* Creates his own new symbols of power - Check
* Associates with racists, hatemongers and violent radicals - Check
* A propaganda machine willing to show him only in the best possible light - Check
* Uses, “glorious leader” style Agitprop posters common in totalitarian nations - Check (see German campaign poster for example)
* Wants Secret Police force - Check
* Somebody powerful people think they can control - Check
* Often dismissed as a light-weight by his opponents - Check
* Seeks to replace God with the State - Check
* People adopting his name as their own - Check
* Inspires adoration art - Check
* Appropriates symbols of past German glory - Check
* Never plans on giving up power - Check (Obama to be president for the next “eight to 10 years”)
* A narcissistic megalomaniac - Check
* Brazenly Takes credit for other people’s accomplishments - Check
* Wants to build “youth” movement through State service - Check
* Acts as if in power before he is - Check
* Some followers believe him to be divine - Check

Frightened yet?


15 posted on 07/24/2008 7:01:17 PM PDT by PajamaTruthMafia
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To: I see my hands
America maintained the best enemy to US military death ratio in war history.

Do you have a link for those kind of statistics? I don't doubt it but I like beating my Lib friends over the head with facts.

.

16 posted on 07/24/2008 7:12:17 PM PDT by Incorrigible (If I lead, follow me; If I pause, push me; If I retreat, kill me.)
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To: Kaslin

Heck, in that case let’s get out of there. We can have the troops out in a month will all their gear and equipment.


17 posted on 07/24/2008 7:13:16 PM PDT by Shooter 2.5 (NRA - Vote against the dem party)
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To: Incorrigible
"my Lib friends"

Disgusting.


18 posted on 07/24/2008 7:21:02 PM PDT by I see my hands (_8(|)
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To: I see my hands

LOL!

I use the term “friends” loosely!


19 posted on 07/24/2008 7:29:00 PM PDT by Incorrigible (If I lead, follow me; If I pause, push me; If I retreat, kill me.)
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To: Kaslin

**Al-Maliki Casts His Lot With A Pliant Obama**

I doubt that.


20 posted on 07/24/2008 7:31:56 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: jveritas
Maliki did not endorse Obama plan depsite what the media has been reporting.

That is correct. Der Spiegel did that. Maliki will have to deal with whoever is in the White House, certainly, and American support for Iraq has a rather sad and inconsistent history when we transition from Republican to Democrat administrations. One might not blame the fellow for hedging his bets.

Nevertheless, this is mostly a bit of hysteria contrived by a press that is so far in the tank for Obama that they can't see daylight from where they are. Why should the arrogant, manipulative, liberal German press be any different from the arrogant, manipulative, liberal American press?

21 posted on 07/24/2008 7:53:30 PM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: Kaslin

Al-Malaki=The Rod Blagovevich of Iraq.


22 posted on 07/24/2008 10:41:30 PM PDT by Impy (Spellcheck hates Obama, you should too.)
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To: Impy; Kaslin; ken21; airedale; surely_you_jest; Pinetop; flyfree; Truth29; Logical me; soupcon; ...
Krauthammer (usually right) is totally wrong this time.

1) Maliki's interview was spun by the SPIEGEL (something they shamelessly did also with Karen Hughes, in order to portray Bush as a Nazi(!!!) )

2) Maliki is on the same page as Bush or McCain on this issue: Phased drawdown of Combat troops with improving Security Situation, province for province, with US bases remaining. "When the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down" has been Bush policy since at least 2005! This is condition based and nothing new! Obama however wanted to withdraw combat troops at any given date without precondition 2003/2004/2005/2006/2007! He is now merely exploiting the situation that Iraq is relatively stable now. What's up with Krauthammer!?

23 posted on 07/24/2008 11:12:20 PM PDT by SolidWood (Obamarxislamism, the threat to our Republic!)
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