Did Obama go behind Bush’s back with Iraqis?

The Washington Times broke an exclusive story on Friday, claiming that Sen. Barack Obama “tried to convince Iraqi leaders in private conversations” that President George W. Bush should not be able to seal a deal to keep the U.S. military in Iraq. The Times says the UN mandate sanctioning troop presence expires Dec. 31. Already there’s a back and forth between Iraqi leaders and the Obama camp, a classic case of 'he said we said.'

The Times said specifics of the conversations Obama had with Baghdad “remain the subject of dispute.” But Iraqi leaders told the paper, “Mr. Obama urged Baghdad to delay an agreement with Mr. Bush until next year when a new president will be in office.”

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Townhall question for Obama: why did three US senators boot Iraqi oil to China?

Sen. Barack Obama often contrasts the billions in reserve in Iraqi revenues with what the war costs the U.S. But not a single reporter has asked the senator about a key economic decision on Iraq by some of Obama’s staunchest supporters, a decision that might have strengthened Iraq’s economy as well as our own. I’m not the only one who wants an answer. Frederick W. Kagan, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a contributing editor for a conservative magazine, said members of Congress wanted answers too. Kagan testified recently about Iraq before the House Budget Committee. Kagan said members asked a question: “Why, after all the assistance we've given to Iraq over the past five years, was the first major Iraqi oil deal signed with China and not with an American or even a western company?”

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