Iraqis fail to agree on whether to ask for some U.S. troops to stay beyond deadline

[alp227]

Source: The Washington Post

Iraq’s fragile coalition government failed again Saturday to reach agreement on the formation of a cabinet or on whether to ask some U.S. forces to remain beyond December — leaving the Obama administration with an ever-shorter timetable to complete the withdrawal or manage the political fallout from staying.

President Jalal Talabani, who had called political blocs together for the second time in recent weeks, said he gave all parties another two weeks to discuss the issues before reconvening.

Although the administration has informally suggested some numbers, indicating that leaving 10,000 U.S. troops behind — out of the 46,000 still there — might be reasonable, such estimates remain “guesswork,” a senior U.S. military official said.

“The Iraqis haven’t come to any consensus about what it is they might need” in terms of tasks they want the Americans to perform, said the official, one of several who discussed the sensitive issue on the condition of anonymity. Until they do, he said, the Americans are unable to calculate “how many troops that might require.”

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/national-security/iraqis-fail-to-agree-on-whether-to-ask-for-some-us-troops-to-stay-beyond-deadline/2011/07/09/gIQAuAN25H_singlePage.html

[dipsydoodle]

1. Oh

Good.

[daleo]

2. Since when did "ask" matter? n/t

[Arctic Dave]

3. I love the way they try spin this as a failure for the Iraqis.

I believe the failure would be to allow US troops to stay in Iraq for any reason.

Good for them in blocking such an overt imperialistic overture.

[PoliticAverse]

4. We're never leaving... n/t

[Cereal Kyller]

5. If there's no agreement on their part, go to dafault position

And get EVERBODY out!

[Citizen Worker]

6. Hmmmm. Could a coup be in the works? After which the "new" government will "ask" US to stay for

the sake of "stability?"

[Poll_Blind]

8. The thought had also crossed my mind more than once...

PB

[Canuckistanian]

7. BAD puppet government

No cookie for you.

[grahamhgreen]

9. Good, now let's GTFO, and save SS, it's a no-brainer.

[Stuart G]

10. Now let's see..who has the power to remove all those troops?? Maybe

the Constitution says something about who is Commander in Chief.
The Commander could remove all those troops from Iraq..is that correct?

[BadtotheboneBob]

11. Hows 'bout I help them out and decide for them?

Out... Out... Out... Not now... Right now! Immediately! If not sooner!

[No Elephants]

12. Don't Ask, Don't Stay.

[Long Shadow]

13. Can't agree? They must have D & R equivalents running their government.

[jwirr]

14. Invited to stay or not as long as we have troops in the ME it is going

to be seen as occupation by most of the native people of those countries.

[Nossida]

15. What a joke

Its clear the Iraqi people have had
quite enough of their young military
aged males classified as Insurgents,
so they can be targeted for 'Special
Handling'. even tho Americans have
surrendered their Freedoms at home,
allowing Home Invasions by SWAT Teams,
shooting Iraqi Vets 70 times, perhaps
the Iraqi people have had enough of
the empty rhetoric about Democracy.
Democracy at the end of a Gun is no
Democracy at all. Except for the
People holding Political Office,
or wearing a Badge.

They never invited the US in, it was
an Illegal Invasion and Occupation based
on a Pack of Lies.