Tue, August 26, 2008
A suicide bomber detonates an explosive vest at a dinner banquet in Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad killing 25 people -- a reminder that violence in Iraq may have eased, but has not gone away.
The attack, the biggest in weeks, comes as the US and Iraq are close to reaching an agreement on a timeline to pull US troops out of Iraq.
As the major American political parties kick off their national conventions, the agreement could help the presidential campaigns of both Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, says the Brookings Institution's Michael O'Hanlon:
SOUNDBITE: Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution, saying (English):
"For each of the candidates there is a story they can tell about why Iraq proves that they are wise. For Obama, its because he was against the war in the first place. For McCain, its because he supported a policy that once we finally adapted it, it produced results in the battle fields."
Obama was against the US invasion of Iraq in 2002..and a central pledge of his campaign calls for a 16-month timetable for the U.S. to leave Iraq.
SOUNDBITE: Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution, saying (English):
"Looking forward, I think he is in a pretty nice position compared to where he was because he can say, 'You know what? I was against this war, I didn't think it was a good idea I still think I am correct about that, and moreover my idea for getting us out quickly is no longer seen as such a disreputable concept."
O'Hanlon says the trump card for McCain was his support for increased troops in Iraq, the so called surge which has helped drive violence down and set the stage for a reduction in U.S. forces.
SOUNDBITE: Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution, saying (English):
"His support for the surge predated even the view of President Bush and many others, he was calling for the addition of more Amercian forces to Iraq for a long time --- and that worked."
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Monday that Iraq and the USs have agreed that all U.S. troops will leave by the end of 2011, but Washington says no final deal had been reached.
