The Bush administration and Iraq government officials agree to U.S. troop withdraw dates.

Funny that McCain/Palin wanted to stay till they won? Dems setting dates for troop withdraws? Why that was setting us up to lose and playing to the terrorist!

I can't wait for the republican rewrite of history in 2012 when they take credit for bringing the troops home for Iraq.


Iraq cabinet approves security pact with U.S.
Last Updated: Sunday, November 16, 2008 | 10:19 AM ET Comments13Recommend9
Reuters, special to CBC News

Iraq's cabinet approved a pact on Sunday that will let U.S. troops stay in the country until 2011, setting a final date to end a military presence that began with the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

The pact, agreed upon after nearly a year of gruelling negotiations with Washington, must still be approved by the Iraqi parliament, but Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said he expected that to happen by the end of the month.

It puts a closing date on a war that has been one of the defining political issues in the United States, the Middle East and around the globe for much of the past decade.

"The total withdrawal will be completed by Dec. 31, 2011. This is not governed by circumstances on the ground. This date is specific and final," cabinet spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said of the pact, supported by 27 of 28 cabinet members.

Dabbagh said major factions in parliament had indicated their support. Deputy parliament speaker Khaled al-Attiya said a first reading would be held in the chamber on Monday.

The draft would place the U.S. force in Iraq — which now numbers about 150,000 — under the authority of the Iraqi government for the first time, replacing a mandate enacted by the UN Security Council after the U.S. invasion.

It calls for U.S. forces to leave the streets of Iraq's towns and villages by the middle of next year.

Dabbagh said U.S. forces would hand over their bases to Iraq during the course of 2009 and would lose the authority to raid Iraqi homes without an order from an Iraqi judge and permission of the government.

"We welcome the cabinet's approval of the agreement today. This is an important and positive step," a U.S. embassy spokeswoman said.

It would not be surprising. The same happened during the Iran hostage crisis in the 70's.

We all can pray for anyway. My personal opinion is we will not be able to pull out because the readiness of the Iraqi government. It looks good on paper. You cant pull out and allow outside influences to take over. We can not do that. Im truly questioning McCain's 100 yr comment. Or was this just a part of a plan to have two fronts on Iran. Iran has always been the center of our attention. I was over there in 1979 thru 1983 serving the 6th fleet. I kinda remember some of what went on with our miltary back then. So my opinion is its something that needs done but the conseqences from doing it might be???? Trying to think of a word but you understand where Im coming from.

America is the biggest TERRORIST on earth and anyone who can not see that is living a life of hallucination . Iraq belongs to Iraqis and not to the Americans or their neo cons or their Zionists or their Israel who instigated them to invade a sovereign nation . Wake up folks and smell the ugly truth .

I love your response. It's not--GREAT, there is finally a date, which a lot of people have been asking for. It's not, I don't like this administration but this is the right thing. It's not, good, we won't be there forever. Instead it's a worry about how history is written by Republicans???

Who cares WHO gets it done--this is good news. Why does every little thing have to be about politics? Your reaction would have most likely been one of elation had President-elect Obama worked out the same deal--but even that's not the point.

This is a good thing--I don't care who does it. It's sort of, I don't know, odd, that you do.

-Drew

Im with you all the way there man!!! I question our involvement with Saddam from the beginning. We supported him a lot in the war with Iran. He had our technology and funding for years. Im am stating my concern for the region when we withdraw. We should never gone back in and took it over! Now we can only hold ourselves responsible.

I think it has big implications in our national defence and energy to name just a few.

I am a vet, I was an infantryman, I served on the DMZ in Korea in 1985-86. In my opinion we cannot bring home the soldiers, sailors and airmen quickly enough.
Many people arent old enough to remember the war in Vietnam personally, but what we are confronted with is another Vietnam.
How can we win?
Who is the enemy?
What about corporate america, war profiteering, and a political agenda that includes the religious right, all united in their agreement that this war is the right thing to do?
My understanding is that 1.2million Iraqis have paid with their lives for what?
Bring the troops home right now.

That is so completely illogical. We had a moral responsibility to go back in that we had armed him against Iran. I also wish people would put context around the fact that we aided Saddam back then. Back then we felt that Iran was a much bigger threat and we acted accordingly. In that case we took the lesser of two evils. Since we were responsible (as you said) wasn't there a moral imperative at play that dictated that we go back?