Iraq War Watch: The Squeeze

Prime Minister al Maliki this weekend agreed with Barack Obama’s timetable for withdrawal of American combat troops and then he didn’t.

Team McCain said al-Maliki was playing domestic politics and the LEFT said “The One” had been correct about the Iraq War all along.

Now, the astute AP is talking about a SQUEEZE by Iraq politicians.

The Iraqi prime minister’s seeming endorsement of Barack Obama’s troop withdrawal plan is part of Baghdad’s strategy to play U.S. politics for the best deal possible over America’s military mission.

The goal is not necessarily to push out the Americans quickly, but instead give Iraqis a major voice in how long U.S. troops stay and what they will do while still there.

It also is designed to refurbish the nationalist credentials of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who owes his political survival to the steadfast support of President Bush. Now, an increasingly confident Iraqi government seems to be undermining long-standing White House policies on Iraq.

You think?

The truth is without President Bush remaining steadfast on his Iraq War policy and John MCCain actively supporting the SURGE, the Iraq War would not have been won.

Will American voters remember?

Or care?