Bush and Maliki try to end run public
The negotiations between the Bush administration and the top leaders of the Iraqi government over the Status Of Forces Agreement (SOFA) are being called "an executive agreement" by ranking members of the Bush administration, in particular Condi Rice.
Through the SOFA, in which the details remain a secret to the American people and the Congress, the Bush White House and Maliki's Green Zone government have agreed to meet the Dec. 31st deadline set by U.N. resolution 1790, which in December 2007, extended the U.N. mandate for the "last time", until December 31, 2008.
This SOFA is a plan for indefinite U.S. troop presence, broad-based immunity for U.S. forces and private security contractors and U.S. jurisdiction to arrest and detain insurgents in Iraq.
This "executive agreement" is in clear violation of Article 1; Section 8 of the Constitution, as the Bush administration's still relying on the original 2002 authorization for their unilateral powers.
The Iraqi Parliament want U.S. forces out and at the very least an established timetable for withdrawal and legal, sovereign jurisdiction of the movements and actions of US forces, especially private security contractors, within Iraq.
On May 10, 2007, 144 Iraqi Parliamentary lawmakers called on the United States to set a timetable for withdrawal. On June 3, 2007, the Iraqi Parliament voted 85 to 59 to require the Iraqi government to consult with Parliament before requesting additional extensions of the U.N. Security Council Mandate for Coalition operations in Iraq and despite this, the U.N. mandate was renewed on December 18, 2007 without the approval of the Iraqi parliament.
Maliki and Bush are going to render Congress, the U.N., and the Parliament mere observers in the pursuit of this joint agreement.
General Petraeus has stated: "Avoid premature declarations of success."
While John McCain runs around the country talking about achieving victory, he seems to be ignoring the top general on the ground.
There's a long way to go before bench mark success is achieved.
Martin Danz
Chicago