Attempting to delay the withdrawal of American troops in Iraq and negotiating the withdrawal himself would certainly work to Sen Obamas' advantage in the upcoming election; if done without his supporters knowledge.

According to Amer Taheri of the NY Post this is exactly what he attempted to achieve on his July 2008 visit to Iraq.  Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari stated in an interview with Taheri, "He asked why we were not prepared to delay an agreement until after the US elections and the formation of a new administration in Washington,".  Sen Obamas position was the Iraqi government should not negotiate with "a weakened Bush administration" but instead seek an extension of the UN mandate.  He further insisted Congress should be involved in the status of US troops and it was in the interests of both parties not to have the agreement negotiated by the Bush administration in its' "state of weakness and political confusion."

During the same visit to Iraq, Sen Obama attempted to persuade military commanders to set a realistic withdrawal date.  They, of course declined to do so as that decision is the Commander in Chiefs decision, not theirs.  Sen Obama obviously doesn't understand the meaning of loyalty.

Sen Obamas campaign has revolved around the speedy withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.  Aside from the contradiction of privately pushing for a delay, this postponement if accepted, would render Sen Obamas 2010 time line unworkable.  IF Sen Obama won this election, it would be early Spring before his administration was formed and an ambassador to Iraq was named, placing us in the Iraqi elections time frame.  With a new government in place it would probably be around June before an Iraqi negotiating team would be formed.  It would be a conservative estimate that it could take up to six months to negotiate a new treaty, which would then have to work its way though the Iraqi parliament.

According to AFP, Obama's national security spokeswoman Wendy Morigi said Taheri's article bore "as much resemblance to the truth as a McCain campaign commercial."  She further stated that Sen Obama had told the Iraqis they should not rush through a "Strategic Framework Agreement" governing the future of US forces until after President George W. Bush leaves office.

Unfortunately, The Logan Act which forbids unauthorized citizens from negotiating with foreign governments, has no teeth having never been used to prosecute anyone, and is thus unable to dissuade American politicians from attempting separate diplomatic plots purely for political gain.