Quash proposal; bring troops home

Quash proposal; bring troops home

Tuesday, June 10, 2008 | 2:02 a.m.

I was distressed and very angry to learn the Bush administration has held talks with the government of Iraq proposing a U.S.-Iraq security agreement that would allow the United States to set up military bases across Iraq and use the country as a launching pad for attacks in the region. The agreement is to provide a legal basis for continued U.S. military presence in Iraq after the U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year.

How dare President Bush negotiate such an agreement shortly before he leaves office and without consultation with Congress? It was reported that tens of thousands of Iraqis took to the streets in Baghdad protesting the agreement. Similar protests should take place in Washington, D.C., and throughout the United States.

Majorities of Americans and Iraqis want the American military to leave Iraq, and we should do so at the earliest possible date. A new U.S. president will be elected in November and take office in January. It should be left to the new president and the new Congress to consider any such agreement before it is consummated; otherwise it would be extremely difficult for the United States to withdraw forces from Iraq.

I urge my fellow Americans to write letters of protest to the administration and to Congress with the objective of putting an end to this calamitous agreement before any commitment is made.