There will be no documents revealing Tony Blair's lying the UK into war because, as Clare Short has recently informed the world, there was no Cabinet discussion about going to war.

The stupid slugs just obeyed orders and then resumed their glad-handing ways.

Baby-Boomers unite! It's time to hit the bricks again. Our gov. will listen to the people in the streets, once more, if we will turn off CNN, paint the signs, call our neighbors and gather together in front of the courthouse. It worked in stopping the Vietnam ala '68-'72 and it's the only weapon WE have!
Eric, keep speaking the truth, after all isn't that the power.

Peace

The new boss is the old boss.

Told ya Bushco would get a walk...

Walk in peace.

In order to fathom the possible future relationship of our country with Iraq one must delve into the underlying complexity of the so-called SOFA agreement. SOFA was needed to finesse the United Nations deadline of December 31, 2008 after which date our troops would not have been “allowed” to remain in Iraq.

I do not understand and perhaps we will never find out why President Bush did not tell the U.N. “we did not ask for your permission to invade Iraq and we do not ask your permission to remain there as long as we want”. Such a statement would have been in character for Bush. He opted for SOFA instead.

Initially SOFA was never meant by us to withdraw our troops from Iraq but was a stratagem (trick if you wish) to keep our troops there past December 31, 2008.

The Bush administration began to negotiate seriously with the Iraq government in mid-2008. Very quickly it became evident that the Iraq government would not only be a hard bargainer but held most of the trump cards. Bush needed SOFA; they did not absolutely need that agreement.

There were several contentious issues which were almost left unresolved as December 31, 2008 neared. Perhaps the most severe of these was the issue of deadlines for the withdrawal of our troops. Remember that Bush did not want deadlines at all but the Iraq government had him cornered and at last he assented, hence the absolute deadline of December 31, 2011 when all foreign soldiers must have left Iraq.

SOFA is not a pact ratified by our Senate hence can in principle be ignored by President Obama.

When one reads SOFA it becomes clear that the Iraq government had apparently scored a major victory. However, neither Bush nor, and most significantly, the Pentagon liked SOFA and all indications are today that the Pentagon either wants to change SOFA with new or no deadlines, or will simply ignore the deadlines. Especially the military is dead set against the December 31, 2011 deadline because they do not want to be saddled with another “lost” war like that in Vietnam. In other words, the Pentagon does not want to lose control over Iraq until it is absolutely “safe” to do so. In international relations agreements are only kept when they serve their purpose. From the point of view off Bush and the Pentagon SOFA has already served its purpose to prevent the U. N. from demanding that we leave Iraq. The agreement is therefore no longer useful to them.

Superimposed on this slippery slope is the game that President Obama plays. For public use his speeches resound with the intention to abide by SOFA. Nevertheless his promises are diluted by the nonsensical distinction of “combat soldiers” vs. “non-combat soldiers” and the adage that his “responsible withdrawal” will be guided by what the “Generals On The Ground” tell him. Since these Generals know that Mr. Obama has not the foggiest idea of the state of Iraq they will continue their mantra that “things have improved but the situation is still very dicey”. Remember Petraeus saying that in Congress? He knows that it works.

Several years ago Mr. Obama told the Chicago Tribune that the U.S. had to maintain its hegemony in that region. U.S. hegemony is based on military power hence I expect that President Obama will ultimately team up with the military trying to change SOFA or to ignore it. He will then have to keep more troops in Iraq which, combined with the demand of Afghanistan, is a Gordian Knot which he intends to untangle by increasing the size of the armed forces.

Only our Congress can quickly get our country of the slippery slopes of Iraq and Afghanistan by making it clear now that it will refuse funding for the wars if President Obama either wants to change SOFA or ignore it altogether. I do not expect Congress to ever do that.

The other and probably more powerful brake on “staying longer in Iraq” are the Iraqi people. If that comes to pass expect huge anti-US demonstrations organized and led by El Sadr, the fall of the Iraq government, and possibly a takeover by a military-supported dictator.

Amen.

Never criticize a man until you've walked a mile in their moccasins - Native American proverb.

what is pathetic about the sheeple is that they actually think/hope/pray that obama is going to save them

its not even clear that he is a citizen

as pathetic as clinton begging the chinese to continue to buy us debt - "we are fucked without ya" she told them in a hasty news release

please chinese peasants please

wow

cheers, b

Obama will not end the war in Iraq, even if he wanted to, It is all a shell game and a con because he is just a figure head for the MIC.