Republicans Run Headlong Into The Brick Wall Of Iraq

I didn't see last night's Republican debate, but this was obviously the big takeaway:



Years and years later, they still want their lovely little war. They don't care if it bankrupts the country. They don't care if it lowers the standards of those serving in the Army, and fundamentally breaks our military. They don't care if they wage it at the expense of Afghanistan, which is getting worse. They don't care if we're still launching major offensives five years after we announced "mission accomplished," and how invariably these offensives yield nothing, as the insurgents just slip off to the next city over. They don't care if no benchmarks are met and we continue to flail around, at times getting so angry at a population that doesn't want us there that we willingly commit war crimes.

These Republicans just don't care. They want their lovely little war. And they want their President to get his lovely little bases, which would be unprecedented:

President Bush's plan to forge a long-term agreement with the Iraqi government that could commit the US military to defending Iraq's security would be the first time such a sweeping mutual defense compact has been enacted without congressional approval, according to legal specialists.

After World War II, for example - when the United States gave security commitments to Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, and NATO members - Presidents Truman and Eisenhower designated the agreements as treaties requiring Senate ratification. In 1985, when President Ronald Reagan guaranteed that the US military would defend the Marshall Islands and Micronesia if they were attacked, the compacts were put to a vote by both chambers of Congress.

By contrast, Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki have already agreed that a coming compact will include the United States providing "security assurances and commitments" to Iraq to deter any foreign invasion or internal terrorism by "outlaw groups." But a top White House official has also said that Bush does not intend to submit the deal to Congress.

This absolutely would tie the next President's hands, which is why Democrats are fighting it so much. Even Republicans are displeased by the lack of consultation with Congress. But of course this is the Bush plan. They want to enact a status of forces agreement, include permanent bases in the deal, leave office without having fully funded the war for fiscal year 2008, and dare the next President to pull the plug, knowing full well that the Iraqis have become completely dependent on the US military.

This war fetishism, along with the stumbling economy, is going to bring down the Republicans in the next election. But it's also going to set a trap for a Democratic President. It's all about Bush avoiding responsibility for a shameful legacy.