Iraq: US may be asked to leave

[kskiska]

THE level of violence in some areas of Iraq is worsening dramatically and US forces may soon be asked to leave by the Iraqi Government.

In an exclusive interview with The Australian, former US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage has given a gloomy assessment of the situation.

"The British used to make a big deal of walking around in their berets in the south," he said. "Now they won't even go to the latrines without their helmets. The south has got much rougher, it's mainly Shia on Shia violence."

Mr Armitage said much of the violence came from differences over how the Islamic religion should be interpreted.

And he said he believed the Iraqis would soon ask the US to leave their country.

more…
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19538585-601,00.html

[Skink]

1. Wow....

:beer:

[carolinalady]

2. Wonder if they will leave....Haliburton needs more money. n/t

[daleo]

3. Ask? good luck with that. n/t

[Erika]

4. W will insist on his mega mega embassy and bases

His oil buds have to operate from somewhere.

Just heard Japan is out of Iraq.

[Rageneau]

5. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! The USA leave? Ha, ha, ha! We just got here!

What do these idiot Iraqis think? That we came to their country to bring freedome and democracy or something? What a crazy notion.

Get this, Iraqis, we came for your oil and we're staying until everydrop of iy has put money in the pocket of a friend of Dumbya.

Until then, All You Base Are Belong To Us!

[AKing]

6. Any official who asks us to leave will be assassinated.....

as quick as you can say John Negroponte.

[WhiteTara]

9. so true and welcome

AKing :hi:

[Gloria]

7. So, do the Iraqi's take over the huge bases with the car dealerships

and fast food restaurants on them???????

[bklyncowgirl]

18. Doesn't matter--Halliburton's already been paid.

After all, isn't the real reason for this debacle to transfer money from the hands of the American taxpayers into those of this admistration's corporate backers?

Alright, maybe I'm being a little cynical here. I'm sure they'd love to have the no bid contracts to run the place too but if that doesn't work out--hey, there's always Iran.

[ninkasi]

8. Chimp ignores U.S. citizens

why should he pay attention to what Iraqis want? He will do as he pleases, and the rest of the world be damned. Surely no thinking person believes the lies his administration used to get us into this endless war. There is still more money for his cronies to make by staying there, and the deaths and amputations, the horribly burned, the blind, are invisible to him. It's about money, and power, and having his way.

[The_Casual_Observer]

10. america will leave when hell freezes over, and with global warming

that will be a long time from now.

[HuffleClaw]

11. not gonna happen... ...BUT

what might well happen is a HUGELY promoted 'agreement' that will let bush withdraw some troops (just in time for the november elections of course). they'll slap a suitably orwellian label on it too, something like 'the freedom accords' too. it'll be a real circus.

[Boo Boo]

12. "Howard got everything he wanted."

Of course he did. Talk about a "seller's market."

[PinkUnicorn]

13. Howard's wants

Howard may have got what all he wanted - a chance to hump the Chimps leg, get patted on the head, and jerk off over being called a 'man of steel' (he was desperate as the British 'head patters' basically ignore him). Australia however got/is getting shafted.

[rodeodance]

14. I will bring the cake.

[rodeodance]

15. says he is just as gloomy about Afganistan.

....Mr Armitage was equally gloomy about Afghanistan, especially in the south, where violence was worsening and Australia was deploying a new provincial reconstruction team. "It'll be heavy lifting for them," he said. "Five years after the overthrow of the Taliban, the ordinary people don't see much change in their lives."

Several factors were driving the renewed violence in Afghanistan including drugs which provided money for numerous warlords.

"At the same time, some in Pakistan may believe that the Taliban may come back. The Talibs also see us handing over to NATO and they see some NATO countries as weaker than us."

[Vidar]

16. We won't leave, but it would be nice to be asked.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

17. Armitage always struck me as one of the sane ones.

... In spite of the fact that I disagreed with his actions most of the time. He's certainly not a Rummy clone.

[jerry611]

19. No Iraqi government will ask the US to leave

Because with the rival tensions, any established government will not last long without US support. The country will fall into Civil War.

No one in power will dare ask the US to leave. It would be like signing their own death warrant.

[IndyOp]

20. Violence over how Islamic religion should be interpreted - LIAR LIAR

LIAR LIAR LIAR LIAR LIAR LIAR LIAR LIAR LIAR LIAR

Leave = Everybody except the 50,000 troops on the permanent "base" (larger than the vatican) in Baghdad.

:grr: :grr: :grr:

[ckramer]

21. Leave?

Unless they agree to give us free oil for 250 years. (ten dead soldier a year)

[Joe Bacon]

22. Why isn't this in the New York Times?

oops, there's Adam Nagourney kissing Bush's ass again...

[lonestarnot]

23. But but but

Haliburton has already dug in. The money pitt has alot of holes from the digging.

[Barrett808]

24. I expect one of the first resolutions of the Iraq Parliament will be...

...to invite us to leave.

Then they'll refuse to recognize Israel. Maybe then the backwash will understand the catastrophe Bush has created in Iraq.

[Cocoa]

25. they took that "sovereign" thing literally?

they clearly don't understand figurative language.