In my subsequent post (#7) I quoted the transcript from Cheney's exchange on Fox with Kelly which corrects my somewhat faulty memory expressed in my original post (#6) to the effect that the step-down offers by Obama occurred with the Iraqis when in fact Cheney alleges that it occurred in negotiations with Obama's own Defense Department.
Nevertheless, Cheney's version is that Obama deliberately scuttled any hope of the status of forces agreement thereby making inevitable the scuttle of American forces from Iraq which, in turn, led to the current catastrophe and makes it Obama's responsibility.
My point about the article is that Pelley had no business pontificating as he did in the face of Cheney's assertions without at least dealing with them.
Whether as partygoer seems to imply, I have a responsibility for going deeper into the facts of the matter then I have outlined in my second post (#7), is an assertion I reject. One is entitled to at least open the subject with the assertions of a former vice president of the United States of America. If partygoer has facts to the contrary of Cheney's assertions, let him, as Mazda 77 suggests, offer them to us in rebuttal.
The above remark is not intended to be snarky but to frame the issues and in no way is intended to reflect on partygoer, the value of whose posts speak for themselves.
Simply stated, it is not obvious to me (and may well be due to simple ignorance on my part) that the natural reaction of Maliki not getting as many troops as he originally wanted would be to refuse to give legal protection to ANY troops, thereby letting Obama off the hook to provide protection.
Indeed, one would think the adage about half a pie being better than none, particularly when said “pie” could well be viewed as a trip switch or trigger to further American involvement (a la South Korea, Cold War West Germany, and Post War Japan) should the task prove more than the allotted forces could handle.
I in no way intended to imply you bear a responsibility to dig deeper into the Cheney rationale. I simply assumed you would share my suspicions (talk about projection), but chose to follow the party line for whatever reason.
Please forgive my presumption, but let me assure you it is born out of the deepest of respect for your opinion as you have articulated it through the years.