Condi Rice and Nouri al-Maliki agree on Barack Obama's withdrawal timetable

Aug. 21 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have produced a draft agreement that determines how long U.S. troops will stay in Iraq ... [U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza] Rice said, ``We are working together as partners to make certain we cover the concerns of both parties.'' She said the plan contains "aspirational timetables" for a pullout, and that the U.S. will respect Iraq's sovereignty.

Breaking; CNN is rumored to be reporting that Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki has called Barack Obama and thanked him for taking such a leadership role in getting this historical nightmare closer to an end. Stay tuned.