Iraq calls on US to make withdrawal plans, Trump admin declines

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/iraq-calls-us-make-withdrawal-plans-trump-admin-declines

Iraq calls on US to make withdrawal plans, Trump admin declines
01/10/20 12:48 PM
By Steve Benen


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As we’ve discussed, the initial response from the Trump administration to the Iraqi parliament’s vote was acquiescence. Earlier this week, officials in Baghdad received a signed letter from Marine Brig. Gen. William Seely, who commands Task Force Iraq, not only declaring the U.S. intention to withdraw, but including specific and detailed information about how it would occur.

In apparent reference to the Iraqi parliament’s vote, the letter said, “We respect your sovereign decision to order our departure.”

As is too often the case, the Trump administration struggled to keep its story straight about the letter, before eventually saying the whole thing was an unfortunate “mistake.”

Today, however, the administration had an entirely new message for our allies in Baghdad: We’re not leaving. The New York Times reported:



Well, yes, I’d say “friction” is inevitable when one country asks another to leave, and the response is, “No.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters this morning that the administration is “going to continue” its mission in Iraq, and a State Department spokesperson insisted that the United States is a “force for good” in the region.

It appears Iraq may have come to a different conclusion. It also appears the Trump administration doesn’t care.