Finally, some good news from Iraq! It's that negotiations on a new status of forces agreement between us and them have temporarily broken down.
That's because the Iraqis, bless them, are saying that the U.S. wants too much--too many bases and absolute freedom for its military forces to do whatever they want, whether the Iraqis object or not.
Now, this is real progress. It's not enough, of course. What we really need is for Nouri al-Maliki to demand that we not only reduce our forces and give the Iraqis some authority over their own country but that in fact we simply turn the country over to its citizens and go home--troops, tanks, guns, and all. Wouldn't that be a terrific development?
I know, I know, it won't happen. But even this president, who seems to have a tin ear for the sounds of history, must wake up in the morning sometimes and wonder--gee, more that four thousand of our people dead, and for what? Maybe, if we're very lucky, this new Iraqi demand for some say in what happens to them will make Mr. Bush angry, angry enough to say, okay, if you won't play by our rules, we're outta here.
Sure it's a long shot, but you've got to have hope, don't you?
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