What is Digg?15 Comments
- FuZi0nDET, on 07/20/2008, -2/+20I'd like to see them spin this:
SPIEGEL: Would you hazard a prediction as to when most of the US troops will finally leave Iraq?
Maliki: As soon as possible, as far as we're concerned. U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes. - thejimmyo, on 07/20/2008, -2/+18Read it yourself before the news networks try to make it sound like it was ambiguous (it wasn't - not by a long shot) or mistranslated (even though Der Speigel stands by their story 100% and nobody has even specified what they think was "mistranslated").
- MercyPolitics, on 07/20/2008, -3/+19Please go read the actual transcript of Maliki's interview on Der Spiegel before the GOP's attack madness start on Obama. And yes, Maliki wants the US troops out of Iraq,and he likes Obama's timetable.
- alapoet, on 07/20/2008, -2/+17OK, there you have it: Our ally, the president of Iraq, wants us out, and favors Obama's timetable for doing so.
What more is there to argue about? Something tells me the Repubs suddenly won't be that interested in hearing what the president of Iraq has to say. - BlankVerse, on 07/20/2008, -2/+12Great digg!
There have been reports from Reuters, the AP, etc., on this interview. And, of course, plenty of political websites and news analysis websites are putting their own spin on the interview. However here you get the plain, unfiltered, unabridged truth without spin or analysis. - thejimmyo, on 07/20/2008, -1/+9"I'd like to see them spin this. . . . "
The first stage is denial. They're going to cling to the CENTCOM statements made by some third-party Iraqi official that vaguely says something about a "mistranslation" (even though Maliki repeatedly said that he favors a quicker withdrawal of U.S. troops, the "denial" never specifies what the translation mistranslated, and Der Speigel stands 100% behind their story).
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,5 ...
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,5 ...
The second stage is downplaying the incident. They're going to basically say that the American people shouldn't care what the Iraqi leaders and Iraqi people want. As one senior McCain official tried to argue, “[V]oters care about [the] military, not about Iraqi leaders.”
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/19/mccain-camp-re ...
The third stage is acceptance. As one Republican strategist who provides advice to the McCain campaign said, "We're *****."
http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/ ... - cg4et, on 07/20/2008, -1/+7Even after "clarifying" his comments, Maliki is still using the phrase "time line for withdrawal" to describe what he wants to happen. Obama clearly has won the argument over withdrawing troops from Iraq.
- onyxcoltrane, on 07/20/2008, -1/+7The spin has begun: http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Iraq_PM_retracts ...
- motivatedmama, on 07/20/2008, -1/+6The Repug contradiction is bizarre. Upon first reading this, it comes across as a win for Bush (I cringed) in that the region has stabilized to such an extent that we can leave now. So what possible rationalization could they have for refusing to withdraw? In fact they fuzz any language that even implies a real timetable. You would think they would hop on this bandwagon and declare "mission accomplished" for the second time and ride it to the election. So what gives? Is it that they are so maniacally bent on completely ruling this region? Can they not see that this is the only conclusion that can be reached by the public in light of Maliki's desire to see us gone? They can not have it both ways! Truly bizarre.
- motivatedmama, on 07/20/2008, -0/+5I like the third stage. Let's hope it holds true!
- inactive, on 07/20/2008, -1/+5It’s really funny to me that all of the sudden republican trolls on Digg went AWOL on this. I guess they are a bit confused and/or waiting for official spin points from the white house.
- motivatedmama, on 07/20/2008, -0/+2I think it will move from disinterest to outright belligerence if the media manipulation fails and Maliki doesn't retract his statement. I imagine we will hear of some 'scandal' befalling the Iraqi leader, or worse, in the following weeks. Saddam found out and Maliki will soon be enlightened. You don't buck the Great White Master so easily.
- swrostmore, on 07/21/2008, -0/+2Dead link, buddy. Allow me to summarize:
reason behind al-Maliki's support for Obama's policy:
"The Iraqi people want US troops out, al-Maliki wants re-election"
reason behind 'backtracking' aka half-assed denial:
"al-Maliki strong-armed by his White House financiers" - neognostic, on 07/21/2008, -0/+1The military/industrial complex depends on one another to continue the situation in Iraq. According to Sen. Webb, there are now just as many Blackwater type contractors in Iraq as there are American troops.
Those contractors cost 7 to 10 times as much per Diem as American troops.
The military/industrial complex knows that their fleecing of the American public can't go on for much longer with those contractors.
So, they move them out, leaving the much less expensive American troops to guard the new, no bid, American oil interests within Iraq. - BlankVerse, on 07/21/2008, -3/+2There is a great bit of reporting by the Associated Press chief of bureau in Baghdad that explains the reasons behind Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki apparent support for Obama's timetable (and possible backtracking).
Read it:
http://www.gulflive.com/newsflash/international/in ...
Digg it:
http://digg.com/world_news/AP_Analysis_Iraq_playin ...
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