Obama's Iraq Tour Rekindles Pullout Debate

Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) issued a challenge to Sen. Barack Obama (D., Ill.) in May to visit Iraq in order to see the conditions on the ground and the "progress" that has been made by the troop "surge" that has been in effect since last summer. McCain may regret his words.

Obama is in the midst of a tour of the war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of a Congressional delegation. The focus of the trip has centered on his proposal to bring U.S. troops home as soon as 16 months after taking office as the president, and he received an unexpected endorsement of his position from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

In an interview with Spiegel on Saturday, al-Maliki said of Obama's plan: "That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of changes." An Iraqi spokesman for al-Maliki attempted to back away from the statement, claiming it had been mistranslated. The spokesman's comment was released by U.S. Central Command (CentCom). Spiegel stood by its translation from the interview. Al-Maliki's new comments echo statements he made last week in Abu Dabi to Arab ambassadors.

The political climate in Iraq has complicated matters. Many of the Shi'ite factions have pushed for a U.S. troop withdrawal, including the influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Elections are supposed to take place in Iraq this fall, although reports from The Associated Press indicate that the election authority has delayed the process yet again. The authority has suggested a date of Dec. 22. Objections have arisen from both the Kurds and the Sunnis, with both groups expressing concern they would be inadequately represented in the current process.