October 6, 2008 10:24:16 PM CDT
(Newser) – Charging that the Democrat's position had become “outdated,” the Washington Post editorial board applauds Barack Obama’s recent promise to “refine” his Iraq policy after consulting with commanders. His previous “strident and rigid posture”—that all combat forces be withdrawn during his first 16 months in office—ignores the successes of the surge, they say, including drops in violence and expanding governmental control.
It's a “modest but real step toward a responsible position on a conflict that, like it or not, involves vital US interests.” Indeed, Obama should stop worrying about offending an anti-war base: He “can’t afford not to update his Iraq policy.” With some space to maneuver, his upcoming Middle East trip should spark some mature talking points.
Source Washington Post
Aug 25, 08 11:19 AM CDT The US has agreed to a timeline that forces all foreign troops out of Iraq by 2011 as part of a proposed pact, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said today. "There is an agreement actually reached, reached between the two parties on a fixed date, which is the end of 2011, to end any foreign presence on Iraqi soil," Maliki told tribal leaders. But the US said the deal had not yet been sealed, Reuters reports. More »
Aug 24, 08 7:50 AM CDT Sectarian violence in Iraq may be on the wane, but bitter tension between Sunnis and Shiites continue to tear apart neighborhoods, the New York Times reports. Only 7,112 of the 151,000 families who left Baghdad to escape the bloodshed have returned, and poor rural Sunnis have moved into houses and neighborhoods abandoned by Shiites. Conflicts often erupt when original owners attempt to move back to their homes. More »
Aug 22, 08 10:40 AM CDT The US's preliminary agreement with Iraq to withdraw most combat troops by 2011 would have been unthinkable even a few months ago. Declining levels of violence, a ceasefire with the Mahdi Army, and the about-face of Sunni leaders have all helped, the Wall Street Journal reports, but for the administration, one factor trumps all others: the strengthening of the Iraqi army from ragtag force to legitimate operation. More »
Aug 21, 08 5:37 AM CDT David Petraeus is leaving Iraq after 18 months, and by all measures the country is far safer than when he arrived. The "surge" of 30,000 extra American soldiers was bolstered by major domestic developments, from the Muqtada al-Sadr ceasefire to the rise of Sunni awakening councils. But in an interview with the New York Times, the departing general warned that "It’s not durable yet. It’s not self-sustaining." More »
Aug 20, 08 2:48 PM CDT Negotiators for the US and Iraq have completed a draft security agreement that plans to have US forces out of Iraqi cities by June 30, and out of the country completely by the end of 2011, the AP reports. Negotiators also reached accord on the contentious issue of legal immunity for US troops, but the prime minister’s office is said to have objections—and neither side has signed off officially. More »
Barack Obama • Iraq • troop withdrawal • surge • Iraq violence
