Paul Bremer, administrator of Iraq, May 14, 2004:"If the provisional government asks us to leave we will leave," Bremer said, referring to an Iraqi administration due to take power June 30. "I don't think that will happen, but obviously we don't stay in countries where we're not welcome."
Iraqi leaders, November 21, 2005:Iraqi leaders, meeting at a reconciliation conference in Cairo, urged an end to violence in the country and demanded a timetable for the withdrawal of coalition troops from Iraq.
In a final statement, read by Arab League chief Amre Moussa, host of the three-day summit, they called for ``the withdrawal of foreign troops according to a timetable, through putting in place an immediate national program to rebuild the armed forces.'' No date was specified.
Vice-President Cheney, November 21, 2005:Vice President Dick Cheney said the administration won't set a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq
Okay, everybody got that?
This has nothing-no-thing-to do with freedom for the Iraqi people.
ETA: Meanwhile, the Republican blogger Gatway Pundit says
Hoping to Appease Dems & Terrorists, Iraq Announces Troop Withdrawal
Um...am I missing something, or can none of you think of a reason why Iraq would want to "appease Dems" either?
ETA, again: Think Progress points out that it wasn't just Bremer who said of course we would leave if the Iraqis asked us nicely:
From the Washington Post, 5/15/04:Secretary of State Colin Powell emphatically said yesterday that if the incoming Iraqi interim government ordered the departure of foreign troops after June 30, they would pack up without protest, but emphasized he doubted such a request would be made.
Oh, and:
In January, President Bush said that if asked by the Iraqis, U.S. forces would leave the country:President Bush said in an interview on Thursday that he would withdraw American forces from Iraq if the new government that is elected on Sunday asked him to do so...
Nothing to to with Iraqi freedom. Not a thing. Zero. Goose egg.
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