Bush's 'General time horizon' = Obama's 'Timetable'?

Question

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080718/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us_iraq

US, Iraq seek 'general time horizon' on troop cuts

By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON - The United States and Iraq have agreed to seek "a general time horizon" for deeper reductions in American combat troops in Iraq despite President Bush's once-inflexible opposition to talking about deadlines and timetables.

Iraqi officials, in a sign of growing confidence as violence decreases, have been pressuring the United States to agree to a specific timeline to withdraw U.S. forces. The White House said Friday that the timeframe being discussed would not be "an arbitrary date for withdrawal."

But,........ but, ........ hasn't Obama also been insisting on 'talking to one's enemies' first? ........and now Bush is in agreement? (Re: Iran now and North Korea earlier)

Who is trying to fool who here?

Answer 1

Obamas timetable idea is one reason he is the candidate of choice for the terrorists. If they know when we are leaving they just wait and after we are gone they go back to work trying to destroy a country and establish a muslim caliphate.

Answer 2

You might have missed it, but over the years, Bush has said that we will be downsizing our presence in Iraq over time as the situation permits and as the Iraqis are able to take over. Trying to claim that this is Obama's idea is not supported by the facts.

Obama's original position was to withdraw immediately, without a single consideration for the situation on the ground or the repercussions of it, and then he advanced a slightly longer timetable, but one still based on calendar dates, not on the military evaluation of the situation.

As for negotiation (as opposed to Obama's "chats"), Bush's foreign policy has included using negotiation, multilateral negotiation too!, with both North Korea and Iran. These aren't the "talks" that Obama thinks are important, but diplomatic pressure being brought to bear on recalcitrant regimes. There's a difference, and it's not a subtle difference, either.