That Clash Track Is Probably Playing In John McCain's Head

The Iraqi Government is trying to tell the US something.

AP writer Sally Buzbee has the story:

BAGHDAD - Iraq's national security adviser said Tuesday his country will not accept any security deal with the United States unless it contains specific dates for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces.


The comments by Mouwaffak al-Rubaie were the strongest yet by an Iraqi official about the deal now under negotiation with U.S. officials. They came a day after Iraq's prime minister first said publicly that he expects the pending troop deal with the United States to have some type of timetable for withdrawal.

President Bush has said he opposes a timetable. The White House said Monday it did not believe Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was proposing a rigid timeline for U.S. troop withdrawals.

U.S. officials had no immediate comment Tuesday on al-Rubaie's statement.

So, it appears that the Iraqi government is wanting the US to get out. You're beginning to hear the conservative media say "the surge has worked". Not in-so-much as it has been successful based on the what the surge was intended to do, but more so in an attempt to create the illusion that the Bush administration was "right" just before George W leaves office.

So, what will McCain say about this?

Here's what he said in 2004:

Question: "What would or should we do if, in the post-June 30th period, a so-called sovereign Iraqi government asks us to leave, even if we are unhappy about the security situation there?"

McCain's Answer: "Well, if that scenario evolves than I think it's obvious that we would have to leave because -- if it was an elected government of Iraq, and we've been asked to leave other places in the world. If it were an extremist government then I think we would have other challenges, but I don't see how we could stay when our whole emphasis and policy has been based on turning the Iraqi government over to the Iraqi people."

Considering that McCain's reluctance to remove US troops would be rightly considered a "flip-flop" - the fucking ridiculousness of that term is really starting to wear on me - I think it's time to know the difference between that and an honest change of heart.

A "flip-flop" is a change of position for pure political expediancy.

A change of heart is simply that - learning from personal experience ( or understanding someone elses experience ) in order to refine your way of life.

Pretty easy to understand, right?

Jon Stoltz gets a little more in-depth.

Just to keep the theme going, here's The Clash: