The agenda: Iraq's reaction
Posted: Friday, November 07, 2008 9:30 AM by Domenico Montanaro
"Obama was elected only two days ago, but his victory is already beginning to shift the political ground in Iraq and the region. Iraqi Shi'ite politicians are indicating that they will move faster toward a new security agreement about US troops, and a Bush administration official said he believed that Iraqis could ratify the agreement as early as the middle of this month.”
More: "Many Shi'ite politicians had been under intense pressure from Iranian leaders not to sign a security agreement. Iran, which has close ties to Shi'ite politicians, has feared the agreement would lay the groundwork for a permanent US troop presence in Iraq that would threaten Iran. Now, the Iraqis appear to be feeling less pressure from Iran, perhaps because the Iranians are less worried that an Obama government would try to force a regime change in their country."
Did the RNC send this wire? "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday congratulated Barack Obama on his election win -- the first time an Iranian leader has offered such wishes to a US president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. An analyst said Ahmadinejad's message was a gesture from the hard-line president that he is open to some sort of reconciliation with the United States."
"Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said the president-elect spoke to Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, Mexican President Felipe Calderon, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown."
The Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel notes Obama can deliver easily and quickly on his Florida promises. "With help from Democrats in Congress, President-elect Barack Obama will have the clout next year to deliver campaign promises to Florida voters who helped send him to the White House. Look for Obama to quickly remove the limits imposed by President Bush on Cuban-American travel to visit relatives in Cuba. Obama can do that with the stroke of a pen. Obama also is likely to help South Florida members of Congress create a national catastrophe fund to ease the cost of homeowner insurance in disaster-prone areas."
