BUSH SECRETLY MAKES PLANS TO KEEP TROOPS IN IRAQ AD INFINITUM

President Bush and the State Department have been secretly carrying on conversations with the Iraqi government in hopes of keeping U.S. troops in Iraq ad infinitum.

Even though Bush will be leaving office next January, he still wants to leave the next President saddled with the responsibility of overseeing 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.

Bush was hoping to build his legacy around Iraq, but when things started to go sour he began to look for ways to salvage the mess he and his administration had created.

Almost 4,000 Americans have been killed in Iraq and another 30,000 are seriously wounded, and the latest survey by a British organization puts the Iraqi civilian death toll at ONE MILLION.

Despite all the chest-thumping by Bush and the right wingers like FOX NEWS that the "surge" has been a roaring success, the truth of the matter is violence continues throughout Iraq on a daily basis with no letup in sight.

As it stands now, Iraq will go down in history as the biggest foreign policy blunder ever undertaken by the United States of America.

Commentary by Bill Corcoran, editor and host of CORKSPHERE, http://corksphere.blogspot.com/, the ONLY blog in America that is dedicated to telling the truth about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

U.S. wants right to hunt fighters in Iraq
By Lolita C. Baldor - The Associated PressPosted : Thursday Jan 31, 2008 20:20:59 EST

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/01/ap_iraq_foreignfighters_080131/

WASHINGTON — The United States, determined to prevent a resurgence of terror networks in Iraq, wants to preserve the right to hunt down top foreign fighters, as it negotiates a long-term security agreement with the Iraqis, according to a working draft described to The Associated Press.

And, while the agreement will not tie the U.S. to specific troop levels, officials do not rule out including some broad goals for the U.S. military presence there, reflecting the gradual transfer of security responsibilities to Iraqi forces.

The closely held draft document foresees a flexible agreement that would allow the U.S. and Iraqi governments to adapt and shift responsibilities as conditions change — a goal seen as critical to both calming resistance from Iraqis who want their country free of U.S. control and giving commanders the needed room to respond to changing violence levels.
In particular, it could adjust as attacks increase, decrease or shift to other areas, and as the provincial and national Iraqi governments progress and take on more security responsibilities.

Several officials with knowledge of the approximately 15 pages that outline the administration’s “developing positions” on the negotiations spoke on condition of anonymity, to describe private discussions.

As U.S. military and diplomatic leaders begin shaping their positions for the talks, it is also becoming clear that they will need to provide greater controls over U.S. contractors in Iraq, and that a blanket immunity from prosecution is not likely.

U.S. officials consider this one of the more sensitive issues and are expected to resist Iraqi pressure to make contractors subject to local laws. But, under the cloud of a shooting incident last year involving Blackwater Worldwide that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead, the U.S. may need to provide better assurances that security contractors will be held accountable for their actions.

Any U.S.-Iraq agreement will face criticism from U.S lawmakers who say they will insist Congress review or approve it. Administration officials, who have just begun to brief lawmakers, insist the agreement will not rise to the level of a treaty, which must be approved by Congress.

Go back to link from the ARMY TIMES to read full account