Maliki Denies Agreeing With Obama’s Plans For Withdrawal

• July 20, 2008

Josh Marshall is all a twitter over Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki practically
endorsing Obama in the presidential election:

I’ve spent a couple hours now trying to process the probable impact of Prime
Minister al Maliki’s explicit endorsement of Barack Obama’s 16 month timetable
for withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. My first instinct is always to
try not to overstate the impact of momentary developments. But I don’t think
it’s enough to say this is a huge development. It’s huger than that. In a stroke,
I think, al Maliki has cut McCain off at the knees in a way I’m not sure his
campaign strategy can recover from.

Poor Josh has been suckered, taken by wishful thinking into believing the implausible
idea that Maliki is a ‘surrender you can believe in’ Democrat at heart. Once
again Maliki’s comments were misunderstood, mistranslated and not conveyed accurately
by the MSM. How do we know this? Because Maliki’s spokesman said his comments
were "were
misunderstood, mistranslated and not conveyed accurately."

This is the second time that Maliki has been completely
mistranslated over withdrawal plans in a way that conveniently helps Obama. Obama himself promoted
this falsehood in an editorial he wrote in the New York Times. You’d
almost think there was some kind of agenda in this misreporting.

Update: Josh Marshall is not honest enough to admit he was wrong, and is still bitterly clinging to his original take. The closest he gets is saying that CNN is ‘credulous’ about the story. Credulous? The CNN story said Maliki flat-out refutes what Der Spiegel was reporting. Yet Marshall is scratching his head wondering why the entire MSM isn’t trumpeting Der Spiegel’s falsehood from coast to coast. Sure the MSM is in the tank for Obama, but they don’t want to appear like utter fools, which is more than Josh Marshall can say.

Crossposted from Ken McCracken

Tags: Uncategorized

http://Array Buzz

“U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right time frame for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes,” Mr. al-Maliki said.

He said it just like it was reported.
Buzz

Iraq must have a spin-mister like Tony Snow over there.
http://ndgoon.blogspot.com/ goon

don’t be shocked Der Spiegel’s is nothing more than a socialist hack like Obama.
http://www.kenmccracken.blogspot.com/ Ken McCracken

“U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right time frame for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes,” Mr. al-Maliki said.

He said it just like it was reported.

That is Der Spiegel’s new, improved mistranslation, modified without noting the changes on their website.

Color me unimpressed.
ellinas

No, nothing changed. They still want us out in 16 months however instead that being called a timeline they now call it a “time horizon” ( who the hell comes up with phrases like this?).

This is the explanation:
In the magazine interview, Al-Maliki said his remarks did not indicate that he was endorsing Obama over presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain.
“Who they choose as their president is the Americans’ business. But it’s the business of Iraqis to say what they want. And that’s where the people and the government are in general agreement: The tenure of the coalition troops in Iraq should be limited,” he said.
http://ndgoon.blogspot.com/ goon

There is a shock the story is being retracted. I knew when this first came out this would change.

SayAnythingBlog.com

Maliki Denies Agreeing With Obama’s Plans For Withdrawal

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