Iraq parliament seeks U.S. exit

[npincus]

Source: The Buffalo News

BAGHDAD — A majority of Iraq’s parliament has signed a proposed bill that would require a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. soldiers from Iraq and freeze current troop levels.

The bill would create a timeline for a gradual departure, much like what some Democratic lawmakers in the United States have demanded, and would require the Iraqi government to secure parliament’s approval before any further extensions of the U.N. mandate for foreign troops in Iraq, which expires at the end of this year.

“We haven’t asked for the immediate withdrawal of multinational forces; we asked that we should build our security forces and make them qualified and at that point there would be a withdrawal,” said Baha al- Araji, a parliamentarian allied with the anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose supporters drafted the bill. “But no one can accept the occupation of this country.”

In both Iraq and the United States, there is deepening frustration among lawmakers and the public over President Bush’s troop build-up, a policy that has yet to prevent widespread killing in Iraq. At the same time, Bush and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki are dispatching their emissaries in an urgent trans- Atlantic gambit to shore up support.



Read more: http://www.buffalonews.com/180/story/73237.html

[soothsayer]

1. we said we'd leave when they asked us to.

let's go!

[soothsayer]

2. we said we'd leave when they asked us to.

let's go!

[klyon]

3. al-Maliki's government can not stand

We should have started with local government if we wanted democracy but that has nothing to do with why we are there. Isn't the 20% oil deal enough to know why we stay. The millions a day we have been stealing in oil. Until we leave and let them decide for themselves nothing can be solved. We must do our part to help them but from outside their country. We should also bring justice to Bush and his gang that have destroyed their country. Our presence is only compounding the problems. We can not hold them hostage to our will. We made a mistake and should pay them back. Maybe George should start a payment plan, he owes us a lot of money for the damage he has caused by being a dumb ass.

[struggle4progress]

4. Americans want out. Iraqis want US out. But Republican war profiteers want to stay.

60% of Americans support Iraq withdrawal timetable

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Six out of 10 Americans support setting a timetable for pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll released here Wednesday. Additionally, 78 percent of those interviewed said they don't believe claims by the Bush Administration that U.S. military presence in Iraq is preventing new terrorist attacks. A majority expect terror attacks on the United States to continue regardless of whether troops are withdrawn. ~snip~
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-05/10/content_6078156.htm


67 Percent Of Congressional GOP Say No Iraq Exit Even If War Hasn’t Improved By September

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) said this week, “By the time we get to September or October, members are going to want to know how well this is working, and if it isn’t, what’s Plan B.” His remarks were echoed by Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-MS). But a new National Journal “Congressional Insiders Poll,” which surveyed 124 members of Congress, finds that the September deadline may not mean much to war supporters. Fully 67 percent of congressional Republicans say that even if conditions in Iraq have not improved significantly by September, Congress will still not pass legislation withdrawing U.S. forces out of Iraq. They give reasons such as, “Democrats will try, but fail,” and “No complete withdrawal can occur without Al Qaeda setting up a safe haven.” ~snip~
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/11/iraq-september/