We Need To Leave Iraq, Yesterday

No Pressure, Mr Prime Minister...we are leaving.

How's that for no pressure?

Do what you want and Good Luck, to you, Sir.

Maliki warns US senators Iraq will not accept foreign pressure

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told a delegation of visiting US lawmakers on Saturday that foreign powers should not try to influence the Iraqi political process.

He also resisted calls for his Shiite-led government to rehabilitate former members of ousted Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein's regime.

Maliki met a group of US congressmen shortly after their chamber voted for a law calling for a timetable for American troop withdrawal from Iraq.

"During his meeting with members of the US Congress headed by Democratic Senator Ben Nelson (news, bio, voting record), Maliki said allowing influence over our affairs to this state or that is a red line that we will not cross," his office announced.

Thursday, the US Senate passed a law that would tie 124 billion dollars in war funds to a commitment to begin withdrawing American forces by October and completing the pull-out on March 31, 2008.

Many US lawmakers have criticised Maliki's government for failing to make progress towards a number of so-called benchmarks -- political reforms which they feel will help to hasten the end of Iraq's sectarian conflict.

But President George W. Bush has vowed to veto any bill which ties the hands of military commanders, while Iraq's Shiite premier insists that Iraq's problems are caused by hardline factions within his Sunni foes.

"Maliki said there are two dangers threatening Iraq, namely Al-Qaeda and the Saddamists, whom he said are leading the arbitrary killings aganist all Iraqis with their differing sects and affiliations," the statement said.

Maliki's statement appeared to warn against calls from US policy-makers for a review of the policy of de-Baathification, under which former members of Saddam's ruling party are barred from public life.

"He said allowing these people access to authority threatens national unity rather than calming the situation as some believe," it said, adding that such a move would hurt Iraqis who "did not resort to crimes and violence."

According to the website of Senator Nelson, a Nebraska Democrat, he was in Iraq with Senator Jeff Sessions (news, bio, voting record) of Alabama and two members of the House of Representatives, Lee Terry (news, bio, voting record) of Nebraska and Devin Nunes (news, bio, voting record) of California.

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The Nazis, Fascists and Communists were political parties before they became enemies of liberty and mass murderers.