Pentagon Fighting Off Peace Majorities in Iraq and US, A Crisis of Democracy

There's an emerging story that Iraqi leaders -- notably Nouri al-Maliki -- are standing up to the US by demanding a timeline for withdrawal. [See, for example, the latest New York Times account on July 11, one of many in recent days.] But far from this portrayal, it is more likely that al-Maliki and the Pentagon are conspiring to fool public opinion in both countries during an election year by finally promising a withdrawal deadline, with vague parameters of three to five years -- if conditions allow, says an al-Maliki spokesman. What's going on here?