Mitchell: Obama Was ‘More than Willing’ to Accept No Status Agreement and Leave Iraq

Andrea Mitchell: Obama Admin Was More Than Willing To Accept No Status Agreement And Leave Iraq (RealClearPolitics)

SEN. TIM KAINE: President Obama was willing to keep U.S. forces in Iraq after 2011, but we were basically kicked out. The former foreign minister of Iraq told me you wanted to stay, we wouldn't allow you to stay, we wouldn't give you the status of force agreement that the U.S. wanted. We regret it now. Because Iraq kicked us out after 2011 and because the Maliki government instead of running an Iraq for all Iraqis favored the Shi'as and kicked the Sunnis and Kurds to the curb, it created conditions for ISIL to be successful. A horrible example of the previous Iraqi government badly mismanaging the situation.

ANDREA MITCHELL: Let me say, there's been criticism the way this administration handled that, handled the Maliki. The Maliki government was the creation clearly of the previous bush administration. It's very clear from a lot of observers that this White House was more than willing to accept yes for an -- no for an answer and get out of dodge. To leave Iraq.