Iraq's PM al-Maliki floats TIMETABLES for withdrawl

My guess is that Barack Obama and al-Maliki will have a good discussion later this month based upon this information.  This is a big development in the ongoing relationship between the US and Iraq, and it's sure to be one that John McCain doesn't welcome, even though he's already planning on spending "Victory savings"...

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki raised the prospect on Monday of setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops as part of negotiations over a new security agreement with Washington.

"The current trend is to reach an agreement on a memorandum of understanding either for the departure of the forces or a memorandum of understanding to put a timetable on their withdrawal

This is a promising development.  It really puts the issue on the table and should get more play in the US Press.  While John McCain spouts some silly open ended talk of Victory, Barack Obama stands behind a reasoned, thought out approach to withdrawl.  To quote Andrew Sullivan, who shed light and perspective on Obama's quotes from last week.

Obama is slowly undermining every conceivable reason to vote for Republican candidate John McCain. If you want to withdraw from Iraq – as prudently as possible – Obama is still your man. You now know though that he won’t risk chaos in a precipitous withdrawal regardless of the strategic and tactical situation. He will not, in other words, be susceptible to snatching defeat from the jaws of progress. Unlike McCain he is also unafraid of real diplomacy with Iran and Syria; and unlike McCain he does not threaten a hundred years of occupation in Iraq and the suspicion that he’d like the US to stay there for ever.

I agree that there remains a clear difference between Obama and McCain.  Like al-Maliki, Obama is interested in actually starting the work NOW to bring the war to a successful conclusion.  McCain on the other hand has a bi-polar approach; on one hand claiming that Victory is the goal irregarless of the time line, and on the other hand, day dreaming about exit by 2013 and already spending the savings...  John McCain is bi-polar, and Barack Obama is full of Promise: only one candidate is ready to talk to al-Maliki IMO... and that's Obama.