Permanent U.S. bases in Iraq?

[newbie]

Interesting article. Gee, why would the good ole USA want a base in Iraq? Hmmm.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle....ESS-FUNDING.xml

[Riverwind]

Interesting article. Gee, why would the good ole USA want a base in Iraq? Hmmm.

I guess the current adminstration likes seeing the US targeted by Muslim extremists. Americans need to understand that having military bases in any country is going to create frictions with the local population (even the Japanese have problems with US bases). Keeping permenant bases in a country like Iraq is a really dumb idea.

[GostHacked]

Well they hinted at it. ANd the article says that it clears the way for perm bases in Iraq, but they have not gone through with that .... yet.

Personaly I had a feeling this was going to happen all along, as I have said in other posts.

[Leafless]

Riverwind

You wrote:

"I guess the current adminstration likes seeing the US targeted by Muslim extremists. Americans need to understand that having military bases in any country is going to create frictions with the local population (even the Japanese have problems with US bases). Keeping permenant bases in a country like Iraq is a really dumb idea."

I can't imagine anyone having a problem with permanent U.S. bases in Iraq as a lot of time and effort has gone into the 'War on Terrorism' and it is fairly obvious that permanent stability in Iraq could be a very long way off.

You seem to cower under the threat of Muslim extremist or are actually whishing them well pertaining to your statement " I guess the current administration likes seeing the U.S targeted by Muslim extremist" and only hope your reference is not the latter.

[August1991]

The Bush administration has said it does not want to place any artificial timelines on a U.S. presence in Iraq and that it wants to begin withdrawing troops when Iraqi security forces are better able to protect the country. But it has not ruled out permanent bases in Iraq.

After Halliburton and the crude, the next leftest meme explaining the "real" purpose of the Iraq war is to say the US military wants to obtain real estate for permanent bases. Frankly, I don't think anything in the Middle East is permanent (the US once had bases in Iran). In any case, the US has a more secure air and naval base in Diego Garcia.

[Riverwind]

I can't imagine anyone having a problem with permanent U.S. bases in Iraq as a lot of time and effort has gone into the 'War on Terrorism' and it is fairly obvious that permanent stability in Iraq could be a very long way off.

I suspect the people of Iraq will have a major problem with permanent US bases. Furthermore, the gov't of Iraq will be perceived as a puppet of the Americans as long as the US has bases there. In other words, any plan to install a democratic gov't in Iraq must include a complete US troop pull out.

[GostHacked]

The Bush administration has said it does not want to place any artificial timelines on a U.S. presence in Iraq and that it wants to begin withdrawing troops when Iraqi security forces are better able to protect the country. But it has not ruled out permanent bases in Iraq.

After Halliburton and the crude, the next leftest meme explaining the "real" purpose of the Iraq war is to say the US military wants to obtain real estate for permanent bases. Frankly, I don't think anything in the Middle East is permanent (the US once had bases in Iran). In any case, the US has a more secure air and naval base in Diego Garcia.

Iran hosted US military bases? When was this? Before the hostage crisis? Links please?