Iraq's PM Takes Credit For Obama's Election Win

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and Barack Obama found common ground on troop withdrawal when they met in Baghdad. Photo: EPA (Taken from The Telegraph)

Iraq Leader Claims He Helped Barack Obama Seize
The Presidency -- Telegraph

Iraq's prime minister Nouri al-Maliki has claimed privately that embracing Barack Obama's plans to withdraw from Iraq was instrumental in securing the US presidency for the Democratic candidate.

A senior Western diplomat in Baghdad said that Mr Maliki told close aides he would hold the new president to an obligation to oversee a rapid withdrawal of US troops, a key Iraqi government demand in recent talks.

"Maliki has said he took the Iraq issue 'off the table' for Obama by endorsing his timetable during his visit to Baghdad in July," the diplomat told The Daily Telegraph.

"Maliki firmly hoped for an Obama victory and has used expectations of such to drive a very hard bargain with the US over its presence in Iraq.

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Previous Telegraph Post: Barack Obama leaves Iraq after securing support

My Comment: This .... if true .... is explosive. It means that President-elect Obama will pull out U.S. forces by 2010. God help the Iraqis who rely on the U.S. as a guarantor of their freedom and security.