forever

The United States signed an agreement with Iraq that we were provide support (troops) and Iraq would allow us to rape the country with Halliburton and other corporate giants.  Cool.  I’m sure that everyone is happy with this.

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From WaPo:

President Bush reached a deal yesterday that is intended to lead to a more normalized, long-term relationship between the United States and Iraq by the time he leaves office, but it left unsettled the question of how many and how long U.S. forces would remain.

Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki signed the declaration of principles during a secure videoconference as part of an effort to move forward 4 1/2 years after a U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussein. The declaration calls for the current U.N. mandate to be extended one year, then replaced at the end of 2008 by a bilateral pact governing the economic, political and security aspects of the relationship.

“The basic message here should be clear: Iraq is increasingly able to stand on its own,” said Lt. Gen. Douglas E. Lute, Bush’s top Iraq adviser. “That’s very good news. But it won’t have to stand alone.  (more…)