An excuse to leave?

Interesting interview with an Iraqi researcher, Yahia Said, in Baghdad for Open Democracy which I forgot to post last week. Of the ongoing scandal about the torture photos, Said said:

"compared to what people have been talking about here the pictures are quite benign. There’s nothing unexpected. In fact what most people are asking is: why did they come up now? People in Iraq are always suspecting that there’s some scheming going on, some agenda in releasing the pictures at this particular point."

Later on he also said that "Two or three months ago people were saying if the Americans leave either Saddam Hussein will come back or there will be chaos and civil war. Now very few people I’ve met would say that. People are so fed up with the Americans and feeling they are only causing trouble. This is not something I would agree with, but that’s how people feel."

Does that mean the photo scandal might be the precursor to a softening up exercise for the Americans to withdraw troops in favour of other countries' - but to still keep overall political control.

Or maybe I'm just being cynical?