As recently as, say, September 2007, it seemed the most pressing problem facing the next president was hands down going be to Iraq. Now the Iraq War looks less problematic than Afghanistan, continued inaction about Guantanamo and myriad economic problems.

The Washington Post’s Michael Abramowitz reports that George W. Bush might deserve credit for creating a situation that Obama can at least work with. Bush and the Iraqi cabinet have finally brokered a status of forces agreement and it’s one that mandates a total withdrawal of U.S. troops by 2011. That’s not wildly different from Obama’s plan for a pullout within the first 16 months of taking office.

The agreement– necessary because America’s U.N. approval to be in Iraq expires in six weeks — still needs to be approved by the Iraqi parliament. And Sunni leaders might categorically oppose any U.S.-Iraq deal. Still, Obama — who during his campaign compared the Iraq War to a bus that crashed into a ditch — no longer inherits a hopeless Iraq.-MB

Comment RSS - You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.