Obama's Iraq: The Picture of Dorian Gray

[Orwellian_Ghost]

Obama's Iraq: The Picture of Dorian Gray

By Jeremy Scahill, Rebel Reports. Posted April 27, 2009.

News that U.S. combat troops won't exactly withdraw from Iraqi cities on June 30th shows the ugly reality behind Obama's facade.

Remember when Barack Obama made that big announcement at Camp Lejeune about how all U.S. combat troops were going to be withdrawn from Iraqi cities by June 30? Liberals jumped around with joy, praising Obama for ending the war so that they could focus on their “good war” in Afghanistan.

Of course, the celebrations were and remain unwarranted. Obama’s Iraq plan is virtually identical to the one on Bush’s table on January 19, 2009. Obama has just rebranded the occupation, sold it to liberals and dropped the term “Global War on Terror” while, for all practical purposes, continuing the Bush era policy (that’s why leading Republicans praised Obama’s plan). In the real world, U.S. military commanders have said they are preparing for an Iraq presence for another 15-20 years, the U.S. embassy is the size of Vatican City, there is no official plan for the withdrawal of contractors and new corporate mercenary contracts are being awarded. The Status of Forces Agreement between the U.S. and Iraq gives the U.S. the right to extend the occupation indefinitely and to continue intervening militarily in Iraq ad infinitum. All it takes is for the puppets in Baghdad to ask nicely…

In the latest episode of the “Occupation Rebranded” mini-series, President Obama is preparing to scrap the June 30 withdrawal timeline.

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http://www.alternet.org/story/138609/obama%27s_iraq%3A_the_picture_of_dorian_gray/

[maryf]

1. From within the article:

"According to the Times, the U.S. is playing with the definition of the word “city” when speaking of withdrawing combat troops from all cities:

"here are no plans to close the Camp Victory base complex, consisting of five bases housing more than 20,000 soldiers, many of them combat troops. Although Victory is only a 15 minute drive from the center of Baghdad and sprawls over both sides of the city’s boundary, Iraqi officials say they have agreed to consider it outside the city."

Italics and boldface mine here.

Can you say "still an occupation"? Scahill is one savvy dude...reads between the lines always. K&R