Iraq timetable set

I thought we weren't setting deadlines?

American and Iraqi officials have set a date for giving Iraq’s forces responsibility for security across the country.

Under a plan to be presented to the UN Security Council next month, the Iraqi Government would assume authority from coalition troops by the end of next year.

Only hours after Donald Rumsfeld was replaced as US Defense Secretary, American, British and Iraqi officials spoke openly about accelerating the handover process.

Funny how a mid-term election can change things...

Baghdad made clear that it would use the Democrat victory in congressional midterm elections to push President Bush for concessions. Confidants of Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister, said that they hoped defeat would make Mr Bush more open to ideas that he had previously rejected.

[...]

All sides said that Mr Rumsfeld's departure provided an opportunity to set a clearer timetable for withdrawing all foreign forces.

A new tone was set by President Bush. He said that he was open to ideas that would help the US to achieve its goals of defeating the terrorists and ensuring that Iraq’s democratic Government succeeded.