Publication: Progressive Review
Democrats Attack Iraq Security Proposal | |
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THE PROGRESSIVE REVIEW - January 28, 2008
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Democrats Attack Iraq Security Proposal
By Michael Abramowitz
The Washington Post
The leading Democratic presidential candidates and their
allies on Capitol Hill have launched fierce attacks in
recent days on a White House plan to forge a new, long-
term security agreement with the Iraqi government,
complaining that the administration is trying to lock in
a lasting U.S. military presence in Iraq before the next
president takes office.
Among the top critics is Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton
(D-N.Y.). She has used the past two Democratic presidential
debates to blast President Bush for his effort, as she put
it Monday in South Carolina, "to try to bind the United
States government and his successor to his failed policy."
Her concerns have been echoed by Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.)
and other Democratic lawmakers who are focusing their fire
on the administration's plans for a long-term commitment
to Iraq, after gaining little traction for their efforts
to force a faster withdrawal of U.S. combat troops there.
"How do you make an commitment to a country where there is
no way of measuring whether that country is likely to have
a functioning government?" Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.),
chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, asked in an
interview yesterday.
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Biden recently wrote a letter to Bush expressing concern
that the agreement could "mire us in an Iraqi civil war
indefinitely." Biden and other lawmakers held out the
possibility that they will try to block the administration's
plans to reach a bilateral accord with Iraq, or at least
seek to compel the White House to submit any such agreement
for congressional approval.
Administration officials said the next president will have
full authority to withdraw troops if that is desired. They
said Democrats are reading too much into the plan, which
they describe as an effort to give the next commander in
chief the tools to deal with the situation in Iraq.
Efforts to secure an agreement began with little fanfare
late last year. The White House announced then that it was
opening negotiations with the Iraqis on a new bilateral
agreement that would cover how the two countries will
relate politically, economically, culturally and militarily
in the years ahead.
The agreement would include "security assurances and commit-
ments" to Iraq to deter foreign aggression, according to
a declaration of principles that Bush and Prime Minister
Nouri al-Maliki signed in November. Officials said they
hope to conclude the pact by mid-year, in time to replace
the expiring United Nations mandate that authorizes the
operations of coalition troops in Iraq.
As described by administration officials, the accord would
amount to a standard "status of forces agreement" with a
friendly country. It would cover such issues as the power
U.S. forces would have to arrest and detain Iraqis, or the
rules covering engagement with the enemy.
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Historically, such agreements have not been submitted to
Congress for approval, though administration officials
concede that if they were to agree to certain security
"guarantees" for the Iraqis, they would have to bring the
matter before the Senate. Lawmakers are insisting that the
proposed agreement is already broad enough to require
congressional review.
"While the exact structure of the forthcoming agreement is
yet to be negotiated, the U.S. has concluded similar agree-
ments with more than 120 countries around the world,
including many countries in the region," said White House
spokesman Gordon Johndroe. He also addressed a key concern
raised by Clinton and other Democrats: "The Iraqi govern-
ment has indicated that they do not want permanent U.S.
bases in Iraq, and we are not seeking them."
The accord has stirred liberal activists, with the advocacy
group MoveOn.org recently garnering more than 250,000
signatures on a petition demanding congressional involve-
ment in any agreement.
Democrats' suspicions have been further fanned in recent
weeks by comments from Bush and from senior Iraqi officials
suggesting that a significant U.S. troop presence in Iraq
could endure for years. During his recent trip to the
Middle East, Bush spoke of how "long-term success will
require active U.S. engagement that outlasts my presidency."
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The number of U.S. troops in Iraq is set to decrease from
160,000 to 130,000 by summer.
Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.) convened a hearing yesterday
to explore the proposed agreement. He dismissed the
contention that the proposal is routine, saying that
administration officials declined to explain themselves
before his Foreign Affairs subcommittee.
"We don't trust this administration," he said, suggesting
that at first glance, the scope of the proposed agreement
goes well beyond that of a standard status-of-forces
agreement.
Despite such sentiments, Bush and his advisers express the
private conviction that any presidential successor will
find it hard to disengage from Iraq, no matter what is said
on the campaign trail. One senior official, not authorized
to speak publicly, said Clinton or any another would-be
president will eventually welcome the agreement that the
Bush administration intends to negotiate with the Iraqis.
"Is the next president going to say, 'I don't want to fight
al-Qaeda in Iraq'? Maybe," this official said. "But I think
they are going to want to, and we will give them the proper
authorities."
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