the government of iraq is now calling for a timetable for withdrawal of all coalition forces.
none of that should be a big surprise to anyone. the united iraqi alliance, the majority party in the current government of iraq, was the only slate in the january 2005 election that ran on a platform calling for a "timetable for the withdrawal of the multinational forces from Iraq." it ended up being the biggest winner in the election, and its victory was an upset against the u.s.' favorite, the "Iraqi List" slate headed by interim prime minister iyad allawi.
for quite a while it's been pretty obvious that creating a functioning democracy in iraq is directly contrary to the administration's "withdrawal equals losing" rhetoric. given iraqi public opinion about the presence of foreign forces, any iraqi government that feels it must respond to the will of the people is going to demand a timetable.
in that sense, the bushies should see the iraqi government's call as a good thing. even if it echoes congressman murtha, it can be seen as a sign that democracy is taking root in iraq. but somehow i doubt they will see it that way
(bloomberg article via atrios)
