They don't call the shots. The US does. If they really want us out our money goes with us. If our Troops picked up and left Iran would move in and take over their oil fields with a solid fist.
No shit. The vote demonstrates their eagerness to be an Iranian satellite, at least as far as those who turned up to vote are concerned. It's a political weapon. There will be attacks and we will be obliged to respond from a position of eroded legitimacy. We're being painted as The Bad Guy.
We need the no-shows to unanimously vote for us to remain. If we don't cast doubt on the US Out vote and effectively decry it as a factional coup then we have lost the Middle East.
How we manage to keep losing control of a government which we installed is a mystery and a testament to our endless mismanagement of our affairs there. Who the fuck is manning the wheel?
Yeah, going home would have been a good thing but it's pretty clear that we intended to occupy indefinitely. If we were going to go, doing it at a time of your choosing is very different than being ejected. And Iran has now openly stated its intention to enrich uranium. This situation should have been avoided in a number of ways but handing Iraq over to Iran as they build nukes and promise to attack us doesn't seem like the right time to dismantle our military capability and come home to repave the highway.
If we don't delegitimize the unanimous vote to kick us out then the campaign is lost. We'll be embarrassed on the world stage, our enemies will be emboldened, and our ability to influence global events in our favor will be compromised. This is a big deal.
