Let's keep the updates going in this new diary! This one is so big, it certainly deserves its own diary. The New York Times confirming the bombshell:
But the interpreter for the interview works for Mr. Maliki’s office, not the magazine. And in an audio recording of Mr. Maliki’s interview that Der Spiegel provided to The New York Times, Mr. Maliki seemed to state a clear affinity for Mr. Obama’s position, bringing it up on his own in an answer to a general question on troop presence.
The following is a direct translation from the Arabic of Mr. Maliki’s comments by The Times: "Obama’s remarks that — if he takes office — in 16 months he would withdraw the forces, we think that this period could increase or decrease a little, but that it could be suitable to end the presence of the forces in Iraq."
He continued: "Who wants to exit in a quicker way has a better assessment of the situation in Iraq."
Just as we thought. The best part: the interpreter that "misinterpreted" is Maliki's guy! I mean, the White House couldn't look like bigger liars if they tried!
Of course, the Times buried this in their article titled "Iraqi Premier Steps Back on U.S. Troops Comment" -- but hey, this is progress! And, of course, this means we've got a live one here folks ... just in time for the Monday morning news.
UPDATE: And, in case you missed it before, confirmation that the White House put the screws to Maliki
The interview prompted immediate concern from the Bush administration, which called to seek clarification from Mr. Maliki’s office, American officials said.
Scott M. Stanzel, a White House spokesman with President Bush at his ranch in Crawford, Tex., said that embassy officials explained to the Iraqis how the interview in Der Spiegel was being interpreted, given that it came just a day after the two governments announced an agreement over American troops.
"The Iraqis were not aware and wanted to correct it," he said.
Josh Marshall has an interesting take on this part of the story here: "The gist of the White House's explanation is that the Iraqis and Maliki specifically were simply too unsophisticated to grasp the implications of Maliki's remarks."