A Penguin in the Orchard

Won’t Happen

Iraqis’ Want U.S. Timetable for Withdrawal | Air America Radio

During a reconciliation conference backed by the Arab League, Iraq’s political factions collectively called for a timetable for withdrawal of foreign forces. About 100 Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish leaders signed a closing memorandum on Monday that “demands a withdrawal of foreign troops on a specified timetable.” Sunnis have been pushing for U.S. withdrawal for months while Shiite leaders have long maintained that a pullout should be done according to milestones. State Department spokesman, Justin Higgins said: “Multinational forces are present in Iraq under a mandate from the U.N. Security Council.

Note the response of the State Department - that the forces in Iraq are operating under a mandate from the UN. Is this the same UN we shunned during the runup to the war? Despite earlier statements that we’ll leave when the Iraqi government asks us to leave, this just won’t happen.