Iraqis want timetable for U.S. withdrawal

So America's moral responsibility may not matter much anymore. The Iraqis are looking for a timetable for U.S. withdrawal:

For the first time, Iraq's political factions on Monday collectively called for a timetable for withdrawal of foreign forces, in a moment of consensus that comes as the Bush administration battles pressure at home to commit itself to a pullout schedule.

The announcement, made at the conclusion of a reconciliation conference here backed by the Arab League, was a public reaching out by Shiites, who now dominate Iraq's government, to Sunni Arabs on the eve of parliamentary elections that have been put on shaky ground by weeks of sectarian violence.

About 100 Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish leaders, many of whom will run in the election on Dec. 15, signed a closing memorandum on Monday that "demands a withdrawal of foreign troops on a specified timetable, dependent on an immediate national program for rebuilding the security forces," the statement said.

"The Iraqi people are looking forward to the day when foreign forces will leave Iraq, when its armed and security forces will be rebuilt and when they can enjoy peace and stability and an end to terrorism," it continued.

Of course, this may give Bush an "out" -- eventually. He won't give in to those at home who are calling for withdrawal, lest he look weak and lose a high-tension partisan battle. But if the Iraqi themselves want the U.S to leave... well, then, who is Bush to say no?

Forget that he started this mess in the first place and that he has grossly mismanaged the occupation and reconstruction of a conquered nation. If things go well, Bush (and his party) will take all the credit. If things go poorly, he (and his party) will find someone to blame. That's how Bush (and his party) do things.

You can count on it.