Okay, again, Iraq's officials say they want our soldiers out . . .

[bigtree]

Iraqis demand US cede control after mosque assault

March 28, 2006 -- Iraq's ruling parties have demanded US forces cede control of security as the government launched an inquiry into a raid on a Shiite mosque that ministers said involved "cold blooded" killing by US-led troops.

President Jalal Talabani said: "We have to know the truth about what happened, and we must not be driven by rumours. This is a very dangerous incident which we must investigate."

After a confusing 24 hours following the bloodshed around Baghdad's Mustafa mosque, in which the US military restricted itself to issuing one somewhat opaque statement, US officials distanced themselves from the operation, calling it Iraqi-led.

"The Alliance calls for a rapid restoration of (control of) security matters to the Iraqi government," Jawad al-Maliki, a senior spokesman of the Shiite Islamist Alliance and ally of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, told a news conference.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200603/s1602187.htm


from january 2005:


Bush: we'll leave Iraq if they ask

Asked if US troops should be withdrawn if the new Iraqi administration requested it, Mr Bush said: "Yes, absolutely. And this is a sovereign government - they're on their feet."

It is the first time Mr Bush has acknowledged what other officials in his administration have said: that US troops will leave Iraq if asked by its elected officials.

Mr Bush also acknowledged that many Iraqis considered the US an occupying force.

"The fundamental question also that I think a lot of Iraqis understand - and I do, too - is: how do we make sure the Iraqi citizens view US troops as helpers, not as occupiers?" he said.

"To the extent that a coalition presence is viewed as an occupying force, it enables the insurgents, the radicals, to continue to impress people that the government really is not their government, and that the government is complicit in having their country occupied.

http://www.libertypost.org/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=82833

[Bubba Zanetti]

1. There ya go!

They would not ask if they could not handle the job.

Who knows... something good might happen.

[LynnTheDem]

2. LOL!!!

Great sarcasm! You forgot to use the :sarcasm: icon, tho.

[Bubba Zanetti]

8. sorry...

< sarcasm>..... < /sarcasm> ;)

[ananda]

3. We'll leave Iraq if "they" ask...

The question is: who did Bush mean by "they"?

And did he mean the "they" then, or the "they" now, or another "they" that he might want to define in his own terms?

As he is wont to do.

Sue

[gatorboy]

4. "They" = Halliburton

EOM

[DLnyc]

5. Sure would be nice if some Democratic congresspeople would now

finally stand up and insist that our troops, whom we are told are there to help the Iraqis, honor the requests of the elected government there.

[pinto]

6. Good connect with Bush's January '05 statement -

:thumbsup:

[MadMaddie]

7. Well the Iraqi's have stood up and now it's time for us to

stand down and get the hell out of Iraq!! Mission accomplished!!

[bigtree]

9. .