Sorry, Barack, You’ve lost Iraq

[Maribelle]

Bush's efforts to negotiate a long-term U.S-Iraq pact may remove troops as an '08 election issue for Obama, Clinton

...

Most significant of all, the new partnership deal with Iraq, including a status of forces agreement that would then replace the existing Security Council mandate authorizing the presence of the U.S.-led multinational forces in Iraq, will become a sworn obligation for the next president. It will become just another piece of the complex global security framework involving a hundred or so countries with which Washington now has bilateral defense or security cooperation agreements. Last month, Sen. Hillary Clinton urged Bush not to commit to any such agreement without congressional approval. The president said nothing about that on Saturday, but Lute said last fall that the Iraqi agreement would not likely rise to the level of a formal treaty requiring Senate ratification. Even so, it would be difficult if not impossible for future presidents to unilaterally breach such a pact

http://www.newsweek.com/id/91651

[Warren Stupidity]

1. bullshit

whatever Bush does can be undone. This is crap. It is a rearguard action to attempt to protect through media bullshit the current occupation of Iraq as somehow unchangeable.

[Maribelle]

5. What isn't bullshit is that Bush will do anything possible to undermine Obama and Hillary

and to help Republicans win the next election, especially focusing on McCain's hawkish platform on Iraq and his backing of Bush. With Iraq as a non issue, McCain's other independent issues and his refusal to conform to other views will surely become more attractive.


And on top of all of this, Bush is truly concerned with his approval ratings as he leaves office.

[thunder rising]

2. I guess we'll be looking for the troop ships any day not...right?

[TwilightGardener]

3. If it's not ratified by the Senate as an official treaty, it can be overridden

by the next President. We invaded Iraq pretty much unilaterally, we can walk away from it unilaterally.

[Maribelle]

6. So why do you believe ...

Hirsh wrote i would be difficult if not impossible for future presidents to unilaterally breach such a pact ? And do you believe Bush has the upper hand?

[TwilightGardener]

9. Since when is any President bound by ANYTHING, as long as Congress approves?

We could walk away from every treaty, every negotiation that we've ever had with anybody. We could quit the UN, NATO, whatever else, tomorrow. Does that help our standing in the world? No--but an agreement with Iraq simply doesn't mean that much, if the next President decides it's not in our best interests.

[mike_c]

4. one of the oldest tools of imperialism....

Invade and occupy. Install a puppet government. "Negotiate" a long term pact with the puppets. Viola! Legitimacy!

[Dawgs]

7. Is this a fucking game to you?

The Iraq war(that Hillary supported) caused the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people.

It's disgusting that you only see it as a how it will help or hurt your candidate.

[Maribelle]

8. How on earth do you get the impression that I think this is a game?

However, it could be argued that I think the corrupt Bush administration thinks it's a game.

[yurbud]

10. But Bush can breach Geneva Convention at will?