Amir Taheri’s commentary ‘Obama Objects but the evidence shows I’m right’ in the New York Post today:

Here is how NBC reported Obama’s position on June 16, after his conversation in the US with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari: “Obama also told Zebari, he said, that Congress should be involved in any negotiations regarding a Status of Forces Agreement with Iraq. He suggested it may be better to wait until the next administration to negotiate such an agreement.”

In other words, Obama wanted a delay on the Status of Forces Agreement, not on the Strategic Framework Agreement — as his rebuttal now claims.

The NBC report continues: “Asked by NBC’s Lee Cowan if a timetable for the Status of Forces Agreement was discussed, Obama said, ‘Well he, the foreign minister, had presented a letter requesting an extension of the UN resolution until the end of this year. So that’s a six-month extension.’”

That Obama was aware that the two accords couldn’t be separated is clear in his words to NBC:

“Obviously, we can’t have US forces operating on the ground in Iraq without some sort of agreement, either a further extension of the UN resolution or some sort of Status of Forces agreement, some strategic framework agreement. As I said before, my concern is that the Bush administration — in a weakened state politically — ends up trying to rush an agreement that in some ways might be binding to the next administration, whether it was my administration or Sen. McCain’ s administration.” (Emphasis added.)

Obama also told NBC: “The foreign minister agreed that the next administration should not be bound by an agreement that’s currently made, but I think the only way to assure that is to make sure that there is strong bipartisan support, that Congress is involved, that the American people know the outlines of this agreement.

“And my concern is that if the Bush administration negotiates, as it currently has, and given that we’re entering into the heat of political season, that we’re probably better off not trying to complete a hard-and-fast agreement before the next administration takes office, but I think obviously these conversations have to continue.

The antiwar loons should be filling the streets protesting Obama’s attempt to delay agreements that would facilitate the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. Yet they will not peak past the trees they are hugging to see the truth.

Our Constitution solely vests the sitting President with the authority to conduct foreign policy; it grants no authority in that regard to individual Senators, candidates for President, former community organizers, or other wannabes. You would think a former law professor and Constitutional “expert” would have learned that while at the Harvard Law School. Barack Obama’s resume looks worth less than the paper it was written on with each passing day.

Related posts:

Obama wanted Iraq to delay troop withdrawal negotiations
Spokeswoman confirms Obama asked Iraqis to delay agreement