Despite optimism triggered by formation of Iraq's unity government, the White House stressed on Tuesday conditions on the ground in Iraq will dictate when U.S. troops can withdraw.i loved how "conditions on the ground" has become a codeword for "under no condition."
The statement came as the White House announced that President George W. Bush will meet his top Iraq war ally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, on Thursday.
Blair said on Monday that all foreign troops may be gone from Iraq within four years and Iraq's new prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, said his forces could be in charge of most of the country by December.
White House spokesman Tony Snow was careful not to sign on to any timetable, saying "the conditions on the ground are going to determine when the United States begins doing troop withdrawals and that sort of thing, and that and that alone is going to be the ultimate factor."
i mean, technically speaking, blair's drawdown proposal is condition-based. the coalition would reduced its forces in iraq on the condition that it is asked to by the iraqi prime minister. that is, after all, what the u.s. would be required to do if it really took this iraqi sovereignty thing seriously. by rejecting blair's condition for reducing u.s. forces, the bush administration is implicitly conceding that iraq is not really sovereign. not even with that shiny new government of theirs.
(HT: Steven D @ chez booman)
