Sunset over Iraq

A majority of Iraq’s parliament has signed a proposed bill that would require a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. soldiers from Iraq and freeze current troop levels, a sign of a growing division between Iraqi legislators and the prime minister that mirrors the widening gulf between the Bush administration and its critics in Congress.

In both Iraq and the United States, there is deepening frustration among lawmakers and the public over President Bush’s troop buildup, a policy that has yet to prevent widespread killing in Iraq. At the same time, Bush and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki are dispatching their emissaries in an urgent transatlantic gambit to shore up support.

But as in the United States, Iraq’s lawmakers are moving further away from the views of the government, particularly on the issue of American presence in Iraq.

Bush has gone on record several times – that if the Iraqi government asks the U.S. military to leave he will pull the troops. Since he has no “official” veto power in Iraq, what new lies will we get to rationalize continuing his war?

Meanwhile, the cowards de jour, CBS, demonstrated their “independence” from government pressures by firing their military analyst, General John Batiste, for supporting VoteVets call to leave Iraq.

Appearing on MSNBC’s Countdown, Batiste, former First Infantry Division commander, tells host Keith Olbermann, “I’m no longer wearing the uniform of our country; I have no ties to the defense industry; I can speak honestly, I have a duty to do so. And I know there [are] other generals both active duty and retired that are doing all they can within their means. In my case, I’ll continue to speak out.”