Kerry delivers tough talk on Iraq in NYT Op-Ed.

[onehandle]

So far, Iraqi leaders have responded only to deadlines — a deadline to transfer authority to a provisional government, and a deadline to hold three elections.

Now we must set another deadline to extricate our troops and get Iraq up on its own two feet.

Iraqi politicians should be told that they have until May 15 to put together an effective unity government or we will immediately withdraw our military. If Iraqis aren't willing to build a unity government in the five months since the election, they're probably not willing to build one at all. The civil war will only get worse, and we will have no choice anyway but to leave.

If Iraq's leaders succeed in putting together a government, then we must agree on another deadline: a schedule for withdrawing American combat forces by year's end. Doing so will empower the new Iraqi leadership, put Iraqis in the position of running their own country and undermine support for the insurgency, which is fueled in large measure by the majority of Iraqis who want us to leave their country. Only troops essential to finishing the job of training Iraqi forces should remain.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/05/opinion/05kerry.html

[WildEyedLiberal]

1. Out by May 15th!

:bounce:

[Tom Joad]

2. threatning to pull out troops? He should be *promising* to pull out

troops.
The Iraqi people do not want US troops there.
The U.S. people do not want to send troops there.
The troops do not want to be there. I expect if they are there in 2007, many will actively rebel, beyond what has already happened.

I don't understand why Kerry does not get with the program.

[fedupinBushcountry]

6. Can you read

Umm he was a troop, where you ? Talk about getting with the program. Geez.

[karynnj]

7. It works out to the same thing - Kerry's plan is very good

Yet you are still quibbling over words. Who is saying more? Maybe Kerry has his own program, not yours.

[yurbud]

9. It would be nice if Democrats could be honest: Iraqis want us out

Polls have shown that again and again.

If this approach by Kerry works though, great.

I'd like to see the Democrats say why Bush really went in there, which recent evidence seems to suggest was not only to give the oil concessins to his cronies, but to keep Iraq from opening its oil tap too wide and driving down the price, which would have helped the American consumer and hurt the oil companies.

[yurbud]

10. LINKS to polls of Iraqis

http://whatiraqiswant.blogspot.com/

Gallup Spring 2004 (before Abu Ghraib photos):

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-04-28-gallup-iraq-findings.htm









Coalition provisional authority's own poll (spring 2004 after Abu Ghraib photos):

source: http://wid.ap.org/documents/iraq/cpapoll_files/frame.htm

[GrpCaptMandrake]

3. The time for talking about withdrawing American troops

was somewhere around October 2004.

[Der Blaue Engel]

4. Kerry laid out very specific plans with withdrawing the troops many, many

times in 2004. I can't believe I still have to point this out.

:banghead:

[karynnj]

8. The most specific of those speeches was the September NYU speech

He also had a detailed plan last October that adjusted his earlier plan to meet the conditions on the ground.

[wisteria]

5. I think this is good. For those of us who still hold out hope that

Iraq may be able to make something positive out of this mess, this sends a strong message and an ultimatum.

[yurbud]

11. It's not an ultimatum to the Iraqis, but an attempted one to Bushies

Jesus Christ, people are dense.

I sincerely hope this ruse of pretending Iraqis want us to be there but we'll leave if they don't get it together works, but please talk like an adult here.