Top Secret: World Media Descends On Iraq

The Left is ginning up a controversy - that McCain "leaked" Obama's purported visit to Iraq this weekend - though the McCain quote doesn't fully support that. Protocol aside, with who knows how many news anchors in tow, two Senators and a slew of other media types along ... if Al Qaeda can't figure out Obama is heading to Iraq, I guess 9/11 really was an inside job. It would mean they are too stupid to have pulled it off.

But seriously, now that the media will be in Iraq and things are much improved, will they genuinely report that ... the way they should have been doing all along? Or, will they simply deliver the profound wisdom emanating from Obama's teleprompter and talking points to their all too eager ears? Stay tuned.

At least the New York Times finally has some national security information they can justify holding back ... because they luvs him, oh yes they do.

"I believe that either today or tomorrow -- and I'm not privy to his schedule -- Sen. Obama will be landing in Iraq with some other senators" who make up a congressional delegation, McCain told a campaign fund-raising luncheon.

It's known that Obama is leaving on his foreign trip this weekend and the Journal OpEd page this morning said that Obama could arrive in Iraq "as early as this weekend." And with a slew of reporters in tow, it's not exactly highly classified information. But there is a reason definite information about these sorts of trips aren't released in advance.

Hypothetically, maybe McCain was just guessing. But even so it would still be a serious lapse of judgment on his part.

Comments

[Worst President Ever]

Again Fred, what's YOUR definition of victory.

And as for your link to the appropriately named "Say Anything" blog attempting to refute Maliki's statements - this just in:

"But the interpreter for the interview works for Mr. Maliki’s office, not the magazine. And in an audio recording of Mr. Maliki’s interview that Der Spiegel provided to The New York Times, Mr. Maliki seemed to state a clear affinity for Mr. Obama’s position, bringing it up on his own in an answer to a general question on troop presence."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/us/politics/21obama.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[Anne]

Will the NYT release the audio or do we have to take their word for it?

[IslamoLlama]

"--

OK, now there are 3 versions of what Maliki said to Der Spiegel

http://patterico.com/2008/07/20/a-third-version-of-malikis-remarks/ --"

Yes, I heard.
http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/9972.html

[IslamoLlama]

"--

OK, now there are 3 versions of what Maliki said to Der Spiegel

http://patterico.com/2008/07/20/a-third-version-of-malikis-remarks/ --"

Yes, I heard.
http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/9972.html

[SacTownMan]

It never fails, if Dan takes a couple of days off from a fresh post the resident trolls hijack the thread and start their own spin machine.

Where to start:

First, for the ultimate in hypocracy we have the resident sock puppet Chris/Bob claiming that Fred = Anne.

"Heavens, it would appear that Fred Beloit/Anne took a double dose of Centrum Silver this morning!!"

Priceless!!

President Carter is ready to wet himself over the Maliki statement. I haven't seen the moonbats stain their dresses like this since Rathergate. Look Jimmy there is no story here.. just move along.

Just like Barry, Maliki was "taken out of context". Regardless of the exact wording of his statement the bottom line is of course they want us to leave ASAP. Guess what resident rocket scientist's that's what everyone involved wants. No big occupation plans by VP Dick or his oil buddies.

Nice attempt though to brush off the fact that the "Surge" was been a huge success. One candidate pushed for the additional troops and hit a home run. the other is a consistant loser and is still pushing for the same thing Lame-O wants... Cut and run!!

You guys are pathetic, you are still hoping for the situation to deteriorate into chaos so you can claim your own little "victory".

Despite the reality on the ground you throw up your hands and say, "what about the benchmarks" or "they want us gone". But fast becoming one of my personal favorites is the "Iraq was a distraction, the real war is in Afganistan" crap. So go ahead just keep spinning away just like the "One"

p.s. Just wanted to point out that in my post from Friday night I joked about "Barry shooting hoops with the troops". Well just look at the latest video from Saturday in Kuwait: Ouch! this is scarry, I guess the Barry spin machine is more predictable then I thought: They even threw in a couple of token white folks for the photo op at the end.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x159213

If anyone is interested I have a similar prediction about Barry's chances in the fall!

[SpaceCat]

Hey Repubtards - OBAMA'S IN IRAQ, PWNING UR DOODZ. LOL!

[Steven Den Beste]

The NYT is reporting that Obama is in Basra.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/us/politics/22obama.html?hp

[IslamoLlama]

"-- First, for the ultimate in hypocracy we have the resident sock puppet Chris/Bob claiming that Fred = Anne. --"

Kettle / Pot Blackness controversy continues to rock the nation. News at Eleven.

"-- Just like Barry, Maliki was "taken out of context". Regardless of the exact wording of his statement the bottom line is of course they want us to leave ASAP. Guess what resident rocket scientist's that's what everyone involved wants. No big occupation plans by VP Dick or his oil buddies.

Nice attempt though to brush off the fact that the "Surge" was been a huge success. One candidate pushed for the additional troops and hit a home run. the other is a consistant loser and is still pushing for the same thing Lame-O wants... Cut and run!!

You guys are pathetic, you are still hoping for the situation to deteriorate into chaos so you can claim your own little "victory". --"

In 2003, when GW went charging into Iraq, I was of the opinion that we should stick around in Afghanistan to clean up. Of course, that was just my humble view. Sure, a few US Senators and CENTCOM commanders and four star generals were of the same persuasion, but they were quickly ignored and / or sacked, by the Administration That Knew Better.

In 2005, after we didn't find any WMDs and the Iraqi Civil War started to break out in full swing, I was furious that we invaded a country based on a lie and that we'd end up killing tens of thousands and displacing millions of people so Bush could have something to brag about during an election year. The massive boondoggle spending to companies with tight White House connections also pissed off my fiscal conservative side.

In 2007, when the Surge! managed to clamp down on violence without making any diplomatic progress, I was horribly disappointed but not surprised in the least.

At no point in time was I, or any America, "rooting for failure". The Astros are playing the Cubs this week. I expect the Astros to lose rather hard. I am not "rooting for failure", but I'm not a total 'tard when it comes to baseball.

Accusations of "rooting for failure" aren't unusual, however. They're normal coming from a crowd of incompetents and losers who couldn't prepare for a war, run a war, or win a war when given the most powerful military in the world using a budget in the trillions of dollars against a 3rd world desert. But please, keep cheerleading for success. If you clap hard enough, I'm sure Iraq will burst into flowers and ponies that McCain will ride to victory in the Fall.

[Worst President Ever]

Yeah, Prime Minister of Iraq essentially backs Obama's plan as opposed to McSame's Never Ending War and it's no big deal.

In the meantime, it appears McSame needs some remedial geography lessons. McSame told Diane Sawyer in response to a question about Afghanistan:

"I think it's serious. . . . It's a serious situation, but there's a lot of things we need to do. We have a lot of work to do and I'm afraid it's a very hard struggle, particularly given the situation on the Iraq/Pakistan border," said McCain, R-Ariz., said on "Good Morning America."

See if you can find the Iraq/Pakistan border on the map.

And no, we're not hoping for chaos. Not only is that BS, it's a pathetic lie. We're hoping for peace so we can get the hell out and start fixing our problems at home.

[IslamoLlama]

I find this particularly hilarious, however, Ann.

"-- It is relevant, then, that Der Spiegel’s original translation contained exactly the part that Maliki’s office insists was left out of the final version — namely, an explicit condition that Maliki’s agreement to a rough 16-month timetable “[a]ssum[es] that positive developments continue.” In other words, Maliki’s support for withdrawal depends on conditions on the ground. --"

So, when McCain stated he wanted to keep military bases in Iraq for the next 100 years and build up a South Korea model, where - pray tell - would this factor into Maliki's stance?

I'm just curious here, because it almost seems like Maliki is endorsing the Obama 16-month plan on the assumption that it gets the troops out as soon as reasonably possible. This, when contrasted with the GOP party platform of permanent occupation, seems to indicate that all the word-picking in the world won't change how this continues to be an endorsement of a military strategy aligned with the Democratic party.

All this from a political leader of a middle eastern nation to a secret Muslim US Presidential Candidate. Now, knowing that Maliki has had repeated meetings with the President of Iran and knowing that Barack Obama was raised in a Phillipine Madrassa, how much do you want to bet that we'll be seeing Iraqi/Iranian AQ-trained terrorists flooding across the US-Iraq border inside 4 years if Obama is elected President?

Woo, Caliphate!

[Anne]

Obama thinks he will be president for a long time

Obama: President For ‘The Next 8 to 10 Years’?

stoptheaclu.com — >...Barack Obama, the reputed “Constitutional scholar,” just today said on CBS’s Face the Nation that he went to Iraq to talk to important leader that he expects to be “dealing with over the next eight to 10 years.” So, does this “Constitutional scholar” not realize that there is this little thing called the 22nd Amendment.....

[Anne]

From Mother Jones on what McCain said

McCain was confronted by Dave Tiffany, who calls himself a "full-time antiwar activist." In a heated exchange, Tiffany told McCain that he had looked at McCain's campaign website and had found no indication of how long McCain was willing to keep U.S. troops in Iraq. Arguing that George W. Bush's escalation of troops has led to a decline in U.S. casualties, McCain noted that the United States still maintains troops in South Korea and Japan. He said he had no objection to U.S. soldiers staying in Iraq for decades, "as long as Americans are not being injured, harmed or killed."

After the event ended, I asked McCain about his "hundred years" comment, and he reaffirmed the remark, excitedly declaring that U.S. troops could be in Iraq for "a thousand years" or "a million years," as far as he was concerned. The key matter, he explained, was whether they were being killed or not: "It's not American presence; it's American casualties." U.S. troops, he continued, are stationed in South Korea, Japan, Europe, Bosnia, and elsewhere as part of a "generally accepted policy of America's multilateralism." There's nothing wrong with Iraq being part of that policy, providing the government in Baghdad does not object.

In other words, McCain does not equate victory in Iraq--which he passionately urges at campaign events--with the removal of U.S. troops from that nation. After McCain told Tiffany that he could see troops remaining in Iraq for a hundred years, a reporter sitting next to me quipped, "There's the general election campaign ad." He meant the Democratic ad: John McCain thinks it would be okay if U.S. troops stayed in Iraq for another hundred years.....

[IslamoLlama]

"-- Barack Obama, the reputed “Constitutional scholar,” just today said on CBS’s Face the Nation that he went to Iraq to talk to important leader that he expects to be “dealing with over the next eight to 10 years.” So, does this “Constitutional scholar” not realize that there is this little thing called the 22nd Amendment..... --"

Query - if Barack Obama returned to the Senate in 2016, would he still be dealing with Maliki from his position in Senate Leadership?

Second Query - Seriously? Is this all you've got?

Third Query - Kinda ominus that McCain would basically hand a campaign slogan to his opposition party in the middle of an anti-war interview, isn't it? Don't you feel confident about your prospects in November?

[Anne]

Obama might want to hire some history majors to add to that staff of 300

Little Green Footballs

Obama: 'The Bomb That Fell on Pearl Harbor'

Fri, Jul 18, 2008 at 6:15:42 pm PDT

An astounding gaffe from Barack Obama, who grew up in Hawaii but apparently never learned the history of the attack on Pearl Harbor: Obama Ignorance Watch.

Throughout our history, America’s confronted constantly evolving danger, from the oppression of an empire, to the lawlessness of the frontier, from the bomb that fell on Pearl Harbor, to the threat of nuclear annihilation. Americans have adapted to the threats posed by an ever-changing world.

I’ve written several times that I suspect Barack Obama of being almost completely ignorant of world history. Now it’s becoming clear that he’s even ignorant of the history of the state in which he grew up.

-----------------------------

[Anne]

not playing with a full deck, he is

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Democrat Barack Obama warned Wednesday about the danger of "fighting the last war" as he pledged to focus on emerging nuclear, biological and cyber threats if elected president.

Two goals of his administration would be to secure all loose nuclear material during his first term and to rid the world of nuclear weapons, Obama told an audience before a roundtable discussion at Purdue University.

Obama said adhering to nonproliferation treaties would put pressure on nations such as North Korea and Iran. North Korea has tested a nuclear weapon and Iran has an energy program the Bush administration warns could be a precursor to nuclear weapon development.

[Worst President Ever]

Yeah, getting rid of nuclear weapons, how nutty can you be? Loo at the other nuts that proposed essentially the same thing: Reagan, Kissinger, Schultz:

Ronald Reagan called for the abolishment of "all nuclear weapons," which he considered to be "totally irrational, totally inhumane, good for nothing but killing, possibly destructive of life on earth and civilization." Mikhail Gorbachev shared this vision, which had also been expressed by previous American presidents.

http://www.fcnl.org/issues/item.php?item_id=2252&issue_id=54

Stop the presses - ya caught Obama saying the singular - bomb - instead of the plural - bombs. Congrats, you're certainly setting a high bar for playing gotcha politics - especially with Bush and McSame as your guys.

[IslamoLlama]

heh.

[Anne]

“I am absolutely committed to ending the war,” the longtime community organizer declared. “I will call my Joint Chiefs of Staff in and give them a new assignment and that is to end the war.”

In Obama’s telling, he will call in his Joint Chiefs of Staff and reset their priorities.

I know Obama is a student of military matters and intellectually voracious, so it is thus rather stunning that he would betray such ignorance regarding the way the military actually functions. In truth, the Joint Chiefs are not part of the chain of command. Indeed, they are specifically by statute not part of the chain of command but instead serve solely in an advisory capacity to the president.

Surely Obama knows this. Obviously he wouldn’t be seeking the role of Commander-in-Chief without knowing how the job is done.

Posted by Dean Barnett on July 7, 2008 09:55 AM The Weekly Standard

[SacTownMan]

It's been a while since I posted the original "Top 10 Moonbat Talking Points" so lets recap:

"Don't forget the top 10 moonbat list:

1. McCain = "Bush 3".
2. McCain wants to keep us in Iraq for "100 years".
3. McCain is too old!
4. Bush lied, troops died.
5. If you don't vote for Barry you're a racist!
6. Democrats are behind the troops. (That's why they continue to try and cut Iraq funding!)
7. Barry will "unite" the country. (As long as you're not one of those 18 million racist's that didn't vote for him or a Republican)
8. We are in a recession.
9. Barry's associations for the past twenty years with various extremists have nothing to do with him.
10.Here's my personal favorite - "That was taken out of context""

Some of the resident trolls seem to be stuck in the talking points time warp so in effort to make it more simple they can just use their favorite talking point #.

The ever dependable Lame-O states:

"So, when McCain stated he wanted to keep military bases in Iraq for the next 100 years"..blah, blah, blah...

He is sticking with the classic #2. Like most things moonbat he seems to think the more times he says it will help to make it so.

Do any of you asshats really think that Maliki wants a pussy like Barry in charge? If Barry, Harry, and Princess "Big Eyes" had their way in 2006 and 2007 they would have essentially left Maliki and others to a death sentence.

If you really believe this guy was endorsing Barry for POTUS please pass the Koolaid!

[IslamoLlama]

"-- In truth, the Joint Chiefs are not part of the chain of command. Indeed, they are specifically by statute not part of the chain of command but instead serve solely in an advisory capacity to the president. --"

Haha. Dean Bartlett parses words and fails.

"-- “I will call my Joint Chiefs of Staff in and ***give them a new assignment*** and that is to end the war.” --"

As military advisors, the Joint Chiefs are crucial in advising logistics of the military. Is Obama going to tell his Generals, "Ok, time to end the war" but keep his Joint Chiefs on task in planning for indefinite occupation? That doesn't sound like very smart leadership to me.

Maybe Bartlet could look up the definition of the word "assignment" and get back to Obama. Last I checked, the President can assign his Joint Chiefs to do whatever he likes.

The point is that Obama can't compete with the political of "Iraq/Afghanistan border" McCain. So why do "gaffs" like this even bear mentioning?

[WAHOO WILLIE]

Ann,Ann..Annie; first you have me agreeing with WPE and now we've progressed to where Pookie the LLama can easily find the relationship between CnC and JCS. At some point dear, you must realize that our left leaning friends here at RWV aren't the typical moonbats who see ninja's behind every Bush (get it!?) Anne, you aren't prepared to joust with these people and they are eating your lunch.

[IslamoLlama]

"-- Do any of you asshats really think that Maliki wants a pussy like Barry in charge? If Barry, Harry, and Princess "Big Eyes" had their way in 2006 and 2007 they would have essentially left Maliki and others to a death sentence. --"

A death sentence? You mean the one he picked up in 1980 under a Reagan-armed Saddam? Or the one he continued to live under while in exile in Iran and Syria for the next 23 years? Yeah, Maliki's life was really on the line. Thank heavens that Bush swept in and saved him from a life as elected chairman of the Damascus-based opposition Iraqi National Congress. The horror.

"-- If you really believe this guy was endorsing Barry for POTUS please pass the Koolaid! --"

Lols. The man openly advocates Obama's strategy for withdrawal and you STILL don't believe he supports Barry? No, please, keep talking like this. Your grasp of reality has never been more firm.

And really, its a sad day when even sweet little Anna is reiterating your talking points.
http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2008/07/top-secret-worl.html#comment-123176524

You lose. :-p

[SacTownMan]

Resident moonbat thread hijacker Lame-O states:

"Lols. The man openly advocates Obama's strategy for withdrawal and you STILL don't believe he supports Barry?"

Dude I do believe you could make chicken salad out of chicken shit!

Look given that you have taken over for Harpo in the sheer number of posts you make here perhaps you could enlighten us with the actual references where Maliki "supports" Barry.

Nothing like having Barry "watching your back" if you are an Iraqi leader.

If Barry had his way Iraq would be in turmoil and Maliki would most likely be dead or back in exile, either way Barry could care less as long as he gets what he wants! He has no moral compass and will do or say anything to be POTUS. He has thrown countless people under the bus, transformed his shrew wife into Betty Crocker and now has his worldwide "tour" complete with MSM groupies in tow.

With the help of the Surge Maliki was able to take the lead in Mosul and Basra and establish his position as the true leader in Iraq. So, please put the bong down long enough to think about this, why in hell would you think he would "support" Barry. Of course Maliki wants US troops out but you guys take one statement and spin a novel out of it. Kind of like the "100 years" line you are so fond of"

Not everyone in the world is as big a tool as you and Barry.

[seekeronos]

"---

And no, we're not hoping for chaos. Not only is that BS, it's a pathetic lie. We're hoping for peace so we can get the hell out and start fixing our problems at home.

---"

Not all of us conservatives -- particularly those of us who are of the Paleo-conservative persuasion -- would disagree with the idea of getting our boys home and pressing to solve our own problems.

The dodgy part it though, is all the bad populist/socialist baggage the Democrats would bring along with ending the war.

"--- Barack Obama, the reputed "Constitutional scholar," just today said on CBS’s Face the Nation that he went to Iraq to talk to important leader that he expects to be "dealing with over the next eight to 10 years." ---"

He may well build upon the groundwork that Bush'41, Clinton'42, and Bush'43 laid on top of FDR's foundation for an imperial presidency by decree (executive order) should such a "need" arise.

I'm sure that if Obama sees a "need", he wouldn't bat an eye at seizing certain powers and restricting more of our liberties, just as Bush'43 has.

"--- The point is that Obama can't compete with the political of "Iraq/Afghanistan border" McCain. So why do "gaffs" like this even bear mentioning? ---"

I consider this an innocent gaffe, as McCain could well have been thinking about Iraq instead of Pakistan (since Iraq definitely has had much more coverage and popular focus than that forgotten war in A'stan which has recently spilled over into P'stan).

No more or less harmless than Obama's visitation to the 58 American states.

Now this all depends upon whether or not Bush'43 decides to push for an October Surprise involving the sudden liquidation of a rather much larger military and regional power - Iran - and risk involving Russia as a possible soft-power ally on Iran's side, if not outright coming into the war on Iran's side.

I mean, Bush is many things, but is being absolutely nuts one of them? I pray not.

[seekeronos]

"--- Nothing like having Barry "watching your back" if you are an Iraqi leader. ---"

If Barry O. is "watching your back", he is probably eyeballing you for the best way to toss you under the bus when the right time comes.

[IslamoLlama]

"-- With the help of the Surge Maliki was able to take the lead in Mosul and Basra and establish his position as the true leader in Iraq. So, please put the bong down long enough to think about this, why in hell would you think he would "support" Barry. Of course Maliki wants US troops out but you guys take one statement and spin a novel out of it. Kind of like the "100 years" line you are so fond of" --"

So Maliki used the Surge! to get what he wants. Now he'll use withdrawal to get what he wants. Are you suggesting that Maliki is going to support McCain when his policy directly contradicts Maliki's own objectives?

Why the hell would you think he would "support" McCain if he wants troops out of Iraq and Barry is the only Presidential Candidate interested in giving that prize to him?

[WAHOO WILLIE]

So Obie is offering the caveat that 2010 depends upon conditions on the ground at the time, thus their "exit strategies" (that's so freekin' cute!) are pretty much in tandem. By 2010 who ever the prez is will decide that a "presence" is necessary because the Muj aren't that patient. Still Maliki say he wants us gone by 12/10......unless of course da fit hits da shan before then.......

[templar knight]

I, for one, would be interested in knowing when McCain said he would keep troops in Iraq against that governments' wishes. Must be another one of those super top-secret Republican plans known only to nutroot secret-agent types like IslamoMoe.

You know, the kind who discovered that Bush secretly blew up the WTC and downed airplanes, and made up phone conversations between airplane passengers and their loved ones, and tricked lonely, heartsick terrorists to take credit for the dastardly deeds. That Bush, he's tricky on one hand, but the dumbest bastard ever on the other. He can get people to do anything, but he inspires no one. I tell you, he's just a puppet of KKKarl Rove.

[Fred Beloit]

Again, Worst, what's your definition of seemed?
"Mr. Maliki seemed to state"

[Fred Beloit]

Obama: "I will call my Joint Chiefs of Staff in and give them a new assignment and that is to end the war."

That doesn't sound like someone asking for advice to me Wahoo/Moe. That is someone giving an order down his chain of command. So Anne is correct. BTW, I'm still waiting for Moe to show how Obie gets to 58 staes. That thought process must involve Midway Island and some of the other lesser known "states".

[IslamoLlama]

"-- That doesn't sound like someone asking for advice to me Wahoo/Moe. That is someone giving an order down his chain of command. So Anne is correct. --"

Well, if you're looking for a gaff, and you look really, really, reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally hard, I'm sure you can misconstrue anything you want and come up with something.

If you construed Barry's statement in that manner, perhaps it is because you made the mistake. Or perhaps your inability to grasp simple grammar has once again lead you astray. Rack that up with your inability to understand simple math or geography, and I'm beginning to wonder if you ever got through High School.

[seekeronos]

Just my 2 yen:

"--- Obama: "I will call my Joint Chiefs of Staff in and give them a new assignment and that is to end the war." ---"

Given where the JCS functions as an advisory panel, it seems perfectly reasonable that a President (God forbid) Obama wants to re-assign them to end the war, then they would consult and get information and present it to the President in a way that would help him decide in what manner he would like to withdraw the military from Iraq and/or redeploy them to A'stan.

There is nothing unusual in what he (Obama) is saying here, aside from it making for good PR for his election.

If the surge has been a success and Iraq is ready to stand up to her own defense, then it is high time our boys came home already: we want our soldiers back home and tended to, we want the billions of increasingly worthless USD spent on the war to stop haemorrhaging from our national treasury, and even the Iraqis are looking forward to a near-term future to take their own defense into their hands.

Now, the JCS may ultimately advise President Obama that a wiser course of action is do withdraw slowly, perhaps according to a non-disclosed timetable at first, and ultimately leaving behind a handful of contractors or other professional advisors, and perhaps some weapons contracts to ensure that the newly stood-up Iraqi police forces are able to keep the lid on sectarian violence and al-Qaeda.

Or they may well see their way clear to a fast and orderly withdrawal in under a year. Or anything else they deem reasonable in their professional capacity, subject to the CinC's final say.