… negotiations is Maliki actually wanted to negotiate a much greater in depth strategic partnership long term. And the status force agreement was just an absolute table stakes. Part of that, The administration apparently wanted no part of [a long-term strategic partnership with Iraq]. that. Maliki understood that our generals were recommending a minimum troop level somewhere between 20 and 23,000. (26:40–26:43)
CLAIM
Asserts that the Obama administration did not want a long-term strategic partnership with Iraq.
This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.
