VoteVets Responds to Iraqi Calls for Timetable or Withdrawal

by: Brandon Friedman

Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 10:46:29 AM EDT

On Monday, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki suggested for the first time that a timetable be set for the departure of U.S. forces under the deal being negotiated, which he called a memorandum of understanding.

National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie appeared to go further on Tuesday.

"We can't have a memorandum of understanding with foreign forces unless it has dates and clear horizons determining the departure of foreign forces. We're unambiguously talking about their departure," he told reporters in Najaf after meeting Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

The Iraqis understand that a clearly defined path to withdrawal for "foreign" forces is in everyone's best interest.  And given that they have a democratically-elected government, that our military is depleted, and that the situation in Afghanistan is worsening weekly, it's fairly obvious what needs to happen: We need to rapidly shift focus from one theater to the other.

Unfortunately, not everyone sees it that way.  The Bush administration is fully prepared to disregard the sovereign Iraqi government's request, John McCain will renege on his 2004 statement that should the Iraqis ask us to go, "we would have to leave," and even groups like the Republican-aligned Vets for Freedom are airing TV ads that urge Americans to "finish the job" in Iraq, even though they never define what that means.

These groups--the Bush administration, the McCain campaign, and Vets for Freedom--all have one thing in common: They want to stay in Iraq indefinitely, regardless of what the Iraqi government--or the American people--want.

Here is a two-part clip of Jon Soltz debating Pete Hegseth on Hardball yesterday:

Part 1:

Part 2:

VoteVets.org officially responded to this situation this morning by issuing the following statement:

IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN VETERANS CALL FOR VETS FOR FREEDOM
TO PULL NEW TELEVISION AD

WASHINGTON - Today, the largest group of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, VoteVets.org, called on the pro-Bush/McCain group Vets for Freedom to stand in support of the Iraqi government, and not air advertisements planned for the coming months that call for an indefinite military presence in Iraq.

This week, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called on the United States to leave Iraq, or set a firm timetable for redeployment from Iraq.

Jon Soltz, Iraq War Veteran and Chair of VoteVets.org said:

"It is wholly inappropriate for Vets for Freedom to be running an advertisement that advocates staying in Iraq indefinitely, given Prime Minister Maliki's request this week that the U.S. set a firm timetable to redeploy our troops.  Our nation must stand firm and in lockstep to support the sovereign democratic government of Iraq, and unfortunately an ad like this only tells the Iraqis that our nation is divided on whether to support Iraq's government.

"We agree with John McCain of 2004, who said that if the Iraqis asked us to leave or set a timetable to leave, we would do so.  It's unfortunate, and indeed dangerous, that Senator McCain has flip-flopped on that position, and disappointing that Vets for Freedom would support that flip-flop from a sensible policy with an ad like this.

"In the end, we fought in Operation Iraqi Freedom - emphasis on Freedom.  To advocate the overruling of Prime Minister Maliki's request would be to retreat from the very thing we said we were fighting for."