Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Permanent Bases in Iraq?

A few days ago, I wrote about the proposal before the House of Representatives to prevent the establishment of permanent bases in Iraq. Well, bless their pointy little heads, they did it right. Honestly, I think this is the first clear indication the people of Iraq, the United States, and the international community have gotten regarding the long-term intentions of the U.S. government. We have vaguely demented pronouncements from the White House such as "the goal in Iraq is victory" and "we're making progress because we have a strategy for victory," but certainly nothing substantive. The closest I've heard is the President's remark yesterday that pulling troops completely out of Iraq would be the job of some future president, so he apparently assumes we'll be there through 2008. (Isn't it 2008 YET??)

The bottom line is that Congress -assuming it remembers that it has powers at all- has the power of the purse for this operation. Now the proposal to prevent permanent bases in Iraq goes to the Senate. Encourage your Senators to step up to the plate and do the right thing.

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