RAGARCIA62

thanks captainron.

can we happy dance now.? woohoo. thanks for the good news vizio.

i have calmed down a bit, but what i meant is that i dont like what the people of our government has become. it just seems they have little to no integrity or morals and that they dont do enough for our country and everything for themselves. i hear way to often of scandals from our representatives and that is when they get caught. can you emagine how much is going on we dont know about ? for one instance they said "no children left behind" and that education is important, but i see teachers and schools having hard tiimes. a friend of mine is a teacher in a small town and she has to buy some of her own supplies because the school budget cant cover it. so all i hear is a lot of hot air and nothing getting done. so when the government says they need to cut spending, raise taxes, and so on, it then hurts to hear that the gov just bought obamas books with my tax dollars. wtf, nothing but hot air. it needs to change and something positive needs to get done. when rv time comes i plan to help out my freinds school, that will be my "give back to the community" .

i hate what our government stands for. i can tell you that come voting time, i will not vote for anyone currently in any position. things need to change. im so sick of our government fending for themselves and fu,,,kn everyone else along the way. i wish i knew and had the means to fix this problem.

i have to agree with you 100%

BAGHDAD — President Obama’s announcement on Friday that all American troops would leave Iraq by the end of the year was an occasion for celebration for many, but some top American military officials were dismayed by the announcement, seeing it as the president’s putting the best face on a breakdown in tortured negotiations with the Iraqis. Notes from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and other areas of conflict in the post-9/11 era. Go to the Blog » .Multimedia TimesCast | U.S. Withdrawal from Iraq TimesCast | U.S. Withdrawal from IraqClose VideoSee More Videos » . Interactive Feature Timeline: Major Events in the Iraq War. Interactive Graphic American Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Photographs Drawing Down and Moving Ahead in Iraq.Related U.S. Troops to Leave Iraq by Year’s End, Obama Says (October 22, 2011) Times Topic: Iraq Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. .And for the negotiators who labored all year to avoid that outcome, it represented the triumph of politics over the reality of Iraq’s fragile security’s requiring some troops to stay, a fact everyone had assumed would prevail. But officials also held out hope that after the withdrawal, the two countries could restart negotiations more productively, as two sovereign nations. This year, American military officials had said they wanted a “residual” force of as many as tens of thousands of American troops to remain in Iraq past 2011 as an insurance policy against any violence. Those numbers were scaled back, but the expectation was that at least about 3,000 to 5,000 American troops would remain. At the end of the Bush administration, when the Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA, was negotiated, setting 2011 as the end of the United States’ military role, officials had said the deadline was set for political reasons, to put a symbolic end to the occupation and establish Iraq’s sovereignty. But there was an understanding, a senior official here said, that a sizable American force would stay in Iraq beyond that date. Over the last year, in late-night meetings at the fortified compound of the Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani, and in videoconferences between Baghdad and Washington, American and Iraqi negotiators had struggled to reach an agreement. All the while, both Mr. Obama and the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, gave the world a wink and nod, always saying that Iraq was ready to stand on its own but never fully closing the door on the possibility of American troops’ staying on. Through the summer, American officials continued to assume that the agreement would be amended, and Mr. Obama was willing to support a continued military presence. In June, diplomats and Iraqi officials said that Mr. Obama had told Mr. Maliki that he was prepared to leave up to 10,000 soldiers to continue training and equipping the Iraqi security forces. Mr. Maliki agreed, but said he needed time to line up political allies. Mr. Maliki was afraid that if he came out publicly in favor of keeping troops without gaining the support of other parties in Parliament, his rivals — particularly the former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi — would exploit the issue to weaken his shaky coalition government. Eventually, he got authorization from the group to begin talks with the Americans on keeping troops in Iraq. In August, after debates between the Pentagon, the State Department and the White House, the Americans settled on the 3,000 to 5,000 number, which was reported in August. According to two people briefed on the matter, one inside the administration and one outside, the arguments of two White House officials, Thomas E. Donilon, the national security adviser, and his deputy, Denis McDonough, prevailed over those of the military. Intelligence assessments that Iraq was not at great risk of slipping into chaos in the absence of American forces were a factor in the decision, an American official said. This month, American officials pressed the Iraqi leadership to meet again at President Talabani’s compound to discuss the issue. This time the Americans asked them to take a stand on the question of immunity for troops, hoping to remove what had always been the most difficult hurdle. But they misread Iraqi politics and the Iraqi public. Still burdened by the traumas of this and previous wars, and having watched the revolutions sweeping their region, the Iraqis were unwilling to accept anything that infringed on their sovereignty. Acutely aware of that sentiment, the Iraqi leadership quickly said publicly that they would not support legal protections for any American troops. Some American officials have privately said that pushing for that meeting — in essence forcing the Iraqis to take a public stand on such a controversial matter before working out the politics of presenting it to their constituents and to Parliament — was a severe tactical mistake that ended any possibility of keeping American troops here past December. But the repeated lesson of Iraqi politics is that putatively final agreements are always subject to revision. Even now, with a definitive sounding statement from the president, the two sides are continuing to discuss a continuing military relationship. Shortly after Mr. Obama’s remarks, which were carried on Iraqi television, Gen. Babakir Zebari, the chief of staff of the Iraqi Army, who has said previously that Iraq’s security forces would need American help until 2020, said in a statement that the country still needed military trainers. Sami al-Askari, a member of Parliament and close adviser to Mr. Maliki, said in an interview that, Mr. Obama’s statement notwithstanding, not much had really changed. “As we said before, the SOFA is totally different from the trainers issue, which is still under negotiation, because we have said that there is a necessity for trainers,” he said. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta held out the possibility of keeping a small force of American military trainers in Iraq in the future, although there are no negotiations under way on numbers or a mission. “We’re prepared to meet their training needs, we’re prepared to engage in exercises with them, we’re prepared to provide guidance and training with regard to their pilots, we’re prepared to continue to develop an ongoing relationship with them in the future,” Mr. Panetta told reporters on his plane on Friday en route to Indonesia. On Friday evening, an American official in Iraq, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deliberations are confidential, said that negotiations would now center on arrangements that would begin next year, after all United States troops leave. Possibilities being discussed are for some troops to return in 2012, an option preferred by some Iraqi politicians who want to claim credit for ending what many here still call an occupation, even though legally it ended years ago. Other scenarios being discussed include offering training in the United States, in a nearby country such as Kuwait, or having some troops here under NATO auspices. Omar al-Jawoshy contributed reporting from Baghdad, Thom Shanker from Washington, and Elisabeth Bumiller en route to Indonesia. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/22/world/middleeast/united-states-and-iraq-had-not-expected-troops-would-have-to-leave.html?_r=1&ref=iraq

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraq ’s President, Jalal Talabani, has discussed with Greek Prime Minister in Athens on Friday, the further development of joint relations and means to invite Greek companies to share in the reconstruction campaign and investment in Iraq , a Presidency statement reported on Saturday. “President Talabani had received in Athens during his current visit to Greece on Friday, the Greek Prime Minister, George Papandreou, as part of the meetings of the ‘Socialist International,” the Iraqi Presidency statement stressed. President Jalal Talabani holds the post of Acting Chairman of the Socialist International. “Discussed in the meeting were bilateral relations between Iraq and Greece, and means for their development, the statement stressed, quoting Talabani as having called for the participation of Greek companies in the reconstruction campaign in Iraq, as well as investment, being an important step, serving the interests of both friendly peoples,” it added. The statement quoted President Talabani as “having highly assessed the courage and wisdom of the Greek Prime Minister to face the current economic crisis in his country, expressing hope for success and progress for “the friendly Greek people.” The statement quoted Papandreou as having expressed his country’s hope to expand horizons of cooperation with Iraq in all fields. SKH (RT) http://www.iraqinews.com/politics/iraq-greek-presidents-discuss-bilateral-relations-means-to-invite-greek-firms-to-invest-in-iraq/

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraq ’s President Jalal Talabani has conferred in New York on Thursday on the joint relations with Kuwait ’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Nasser al-Ahmed al-Jabir al-Subah and his accompanying delegation, according to a Presidential statement on Friday. “President Talabai has received in New York on Thursday the Kuwaiti Prime Minister and his accompanying delegation,” the statement stressed, adding that “both sides have discussed joint relations between the two countries and means for the settlement of all suspended issues through fraternal dialogue .” The statement pointed out that “both sides had confirmed necessity to keep away from harsh statements that undermine the pacified dialogue, that achieves the settlement of the joint problems in the interest of both countries, in the meeting, attended by Iraq ’s foreign Minister, Hoshiar Zibari and other officials.” President Talabani is scheduled to deliver Iraq ’s speech in the meeting of the UN General Assembly, held in New York on Friday, scheduled to explain the current local and foreign developments in Iraq , including the political and security issues. SKH (IT) 952 http://www.iraqinews.com/politics/talabani-confers-on-joint-relations-with-kuwait%e2%80%99s-pm/

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: President Jalal Talabani called for enhancing economic relations and encouraging U.S. companies to work in Iraq, according to a presidential statement. President Talabani met U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey today. The statement, as received by IraqiNews.com, said both sides discussed bilateral relation in light of the agreement signed between them. It added that Talabani called on U.S. companies to rehabilitate and develop Iraqi infrastructures in the economic and services fields. Ambassador Jeffrey, for his part, praised Talabani’s role in bringing viewpoints closer together to serve the political process and in building the new Iraq. RM (TS)/SR 320 http://www.iraqinews.com/politics/talabani-calls-for-enhancing-economic-relations-with-us/

BAGHDAD: The Leader of the Shiite al-Sadr Trend, Muqtada al-Sadr, has announced rejection of the presence of US Forces, including military trainers, in Iraq after the end of 2011, according to the Security Agreement signed between Iraq and the US. “I had presented 3 demands about the US troops presence in Iraq, but none of them had been passed by the Parliament till now,” Sadr said in a statement. In another development, Sadr strongly condemned what he termed as “the Western attacks against demonstrators in the United States and other countries.” He said the demonstration in Wall Street at the United States had witnessed harsh attacks in that country, alleging to be supporter of democracy, giving no further details. SKH (ST)226

.… BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Tens of demonstrators at Tahrir square, mid Baghdad, rejected the stay of US forces under any “name”, warning that such stay will affect Iraqi sovereignty. IraqiNews.com correspondent said that about 200 demonstrators described US forces stay led to destroying the social network of the Iraqi society. He added that other demonstrators called for countering financial and administrative corruption, provision of work opportunities and electricity. 34 http://www.iraqinews.com/politics/rejection-of-us-forces-stay-under-any-name-demonstrators/

i would have to say that our troops leaving iraq is a very good thing for our families, our investment, and the troops who i know want to get home. i am very excited. go rv

i look forward to reading the wednesday chat every week. thanks for all you do adam, and mods and all the folks who find all the good news articles. go rv, looking forward to at least $1.00 rv.

nice find, easyrider, and thanks. hope this ends up being very good news for us all. we shall see and as always, we sit and wait.

very good news. thanks k98, for the hard work you must be doing to find all these good articles. and although some are over my head, i appreciate it very much. hope they get this done before months end. it would be very nice to hear that news. i am so ready for rv time.

your avitar is cool. its a photo of a great white that the kayaker had saved from a net and now it follows him around when he goes fishing. aaand, on another note, thanks adam for all the info. here's to hoping for a happy thanksgiving. HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL

you read my mind. i could'nt agree with you more.

wonderful news. get it finished and rv already. go rv

unfortunately, tomorrow never gets here. still waiting for adams text. woohoo.

i sure hope they can figure this problem out. they need to get rid of maliki, and soon.

if they rv they will have money. go rv

thanks for the good read, surf. very nice, i like it. come on and rv please.

oh man, i miss sarasota. lived there for 5 years now im stuck in flippin' virginia. come on rv

they cant have mine until they rv. go rv

not sure if this is pasted correctly, but this is the truck we need.