Iraq Prime Minister playing into the hands of the enemy

The government of Iraq, which the Bush administration occassionally treats as being sovereign, is balking at an open-ended occupation by U.S. forces.

Speaking in the United Arab Emirates today, Prime Minister Maliki said

One of the two basic topics is either to have a memorandum of understanding for the departure of forces or a memorandum of understanding to set a timetable for the presence of the forces, so that we know (their presence) will end in a specific time.

Perhaps President Bush can trot out some of these tired chestnuts to change the Prime Minister's mind--specifically, that a withdrawal

• "is wrong for our troops and ... wrong for our country,"
  
  
• "would undermine our troops and threaten the safety of the American people here at home,"
  
  
• "is not a plan to bring peace to the region or to make our people safer at home,"
  
  
• "would embolden our enemies and confirm their belief that America is weak,"
  
  
• "would be an invitation to the enemy to attack America and our friends around the world,"
  
  
• "forc(es) our nation to withdraw on the enemy's terms," and
  
  
• "would increase the probability that American troops would one day have to return to Iraq and confront an enemy that's even more dangerous."
  

Sen. John McCain could further admonish the Prime Minister that "setting a date for withdrawal is chaos, genocide, and we'll be back, because Al Qaeda will then succeed."

Instead, the Prime Minister is foolishly and selfishly overlooking the needs of the U.S. by calling for a deadline. How can he be so short-sighted and ungrateful?