Secret US plan for military future in Iraq

I used the headline from the article for my header here. Seumas Milne has an article in The Guardian today:

A confidential draft agreement covering the future of US forces in Iraq, passed to the Guardian, shows that provision is being made for an open-ended military presence in the country.

The draft strategic framework agreement between the US and Iraqi governments, dated March 7 and marked "secret" and "sensitive", is intended to replace the existing UN mandate and authorises the US to "conduct military operations in Iraq and to detain individuals when necessary for imperative reasons of security" without time limit.

The authorisation is described as "temporary" and the agreement says the US "does not desire permanent bases or a permanent military presence in Iraq". But the absence of a time limit or restrictions on the US and other coalition forces - including the British - in the country means it is likely to be strongly opposed in Iraq and the US.

Iraqi critics point out that the agreement contains no limits on numbers of US forces, the weapons they are able to deploy, their legal status or powers over Iraqi citizens, going far beyond long-term US security agreements with other countries. The agreement is intended to govern the status of the US military and other members of the multinational force.

You may click above and read it all.

We have known for some time that Bush was trying to work out something along these lines, bypassing the Senate's duty and right to be consulted on treaties.

Might we get another article of impeachment out of this (to go with the bazillion others that Bush has justified hitherto)?

Just thought y'all should know about this.

I hope copies of the article are being handed to congresscritters right now, even as Petraeus is testifying.

h/t to the Ed Schultz Show (I heard about it on the radio this morning).
--the BB