100 years in Iraq, and maybe more

[struggle4progress]

IN two days of congressional hearings, only passing reference was made to a critical document, the long-term-security agreement the Bush administration is negotiating with Iraq ...

U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker said .. there were no plans to submit it to the Senate because it was an "executive agreement."

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden said .. "You need to do much more than inform the Congress, you need the permission of the Congress if you're going to bind the next president of the United States in anything you agree to" ...

Congress .. should keep a close and watchful eye on its contents while they're being drafted, especially given President Bush's overly expansive views of presidential powers ... If Congress waits around for the agreement to be completed, the Senate may find it not so much ratifying a treaty as rubberstamping a fait accompli.

http://www.sgvtribune.com/opinions/ci_8906610