Iraqi Officials: Obama Tried to Delay US Withdrawal
Iraqi officials said, Amir Taheri reported on Monday, that Senator Barack Obama tried to convince them to agree to a delay the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq during his visit to this country in July.
“He asked why we were not prepared to delay an agreement until after the US elections and the formation of a new administration in Washington,” Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said in an interview.
Barack Obama has run on a platform of immediately withdrawal. If Iraqi officials are correct it seems that he says one thing behind closed doors, and another in public.
He told Iraqi officials that ‘Congress should be involved in negotiations on the status of US troops - and that it was in the interests of both sides not to have an agreement negotiated by the Bush administration in its “state of weakness and political confusion.”‘
“However, as an Iraqi, I prefer to have a security agreement that regulates the activities of foreign troops, rather than keeping the matter open.” Zebari said.
Instead of trying to reach an accord with the “weakened Bush administration,” Obama urged the Iraqi government to ’seek an extension of the UN mandate.’
The words of Iraq’s Foreign Minister should encourage journalists and bloggers alike to ask the Obama campaign whether the foreign minister was telling the truth and, if so, what Obama’s plans for Iraq are precisely.
PoliGazette has contacted the campaign but has yet to receive an answer.
If Obama did try to delay the withdrawal of troops, this seems on par with treason in my opinion. If not that far, it is as close as I have seen a person running for office come to treason.
Obama’s national security spokeswoman Wendy Morigi said Taheri’s article bore "as much resemblance to the truth as a McCain campaign commercial."In fact, Obama had told the Iraqis that they should not rush through a "Strategic Framework Agreement" governing the future of US forces until after President George W. Bush leaves office, she said.
Isn’t she just confirming what Tahiri said?
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hi9TDNHvuBZpFsO8ZbiFYsnbIl3A
Has anyone found out if this is true or not? Anything else in the news / or is this being stifled by MSM?
Does anyone have any insight on this? The Logan Act (est. 1799): a single federal statute making it a crime for a citizen to confer with foreign governments against the interests of the United States. Specifically, it prohibits citizens from negotiating with other nations on behalf of the United States without authorization.
I looked it up and it doesn’t say if you are running for President it is Ok, however nothing from what I have read would appear to restrict members of the Congress from engaging in discussions with foreign officials. Senators McGovern and Sparkman were accused of violating the Logan Act in 1975 when they traveled to Cuba. However, the executive branch, although it did not in any way encourage the Senators to go to Cuba , was fully informed of the nature and purpose of their visit, and had validated their passports for travel to that country. Senator McGovern’s report of his discussions with Cuban officials states: "I made it clear that I had no authority to negotiate on behalf of the United States — that I had come to listen and learn. Senator Sparkman’s contacts with Cuban officials were conducted on a similar basis.
So I guess the question in regards to violating the Logan act is: was the executive branch fully informed of the nature and purpose of their visit, had validated their passports for travel to that country, and made it clear that he had no authority to negotiate on behalf of the United States.