Big Surprise! WP is reporting that Maliki's 'misinterpreted' statement came after U.S. Govt Call

[TeamJordan23]

Maliki Aide's Statement Came After U.S. Call

By Dan Eggen
The statement by an aide to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki calling his remarks in Der Spiegel "misinterpreted and mistranslated" followed a call to the prime minister's office from U.S. government officials in Iraq.

Maliki had expressed support for a withdrawal plan similar to that of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama in an interview with Der Speigel. U.S. troops should leave Iraq "As soon as possible, as far as we're concerned," Maliki had said. "U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."

But after the Spiegel interview was published and began generating headlines Saturday, officials at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad contacted Maliki's office to express concern and seek clarification on the remarks, according to White House spokesman Scott Stanzel.

Later in the day, a Maliki aide released a statement saying the remarks had been misinterpreted, though without citing specific comments.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/07/20/maliki_aides_statement_came_af.html

[Liberal Veteran]

1. Somebody went off script and forgot to vet his statements with his masters first.

Color me shocked.

[LiberalFighter]

7. General Petraus must had been in the head reading Stars and Stripes.

[dkf]

2. This is so transparent it is hilarous.

Maliki did a really bad job of fixing this up anyway.

What a joke.

[Liberal Veteran]

3. Perhaps Chimpy and Cheney and should hire some of those Saddam-era "minders"...

...that were around to make sure public officials didn't go off script.

I shouldn't joke, they probably would if they thought they could get away with it.

[Cosmocat]

4. The nutjob in Iran ...

EVERYTHING they SAY he said, the gospel ...

Maliki, any time he Fs up and gets honest, it is misinterperated ...

[geckosfeet]

5. Maliki - heel! Heel dammit!

[scarletwoman]

8. BAD puppet! BAD BAD puppet!

[Blarch]

6. Move along ...nothin to see..

[Kdillard]

9. Shocker. It is not like we didn't know that would happen.