Democrats have been trying to get the administration on record about whether the United States has any intentions of building permanent bases in Iraq. Yesterday, the House
approved by a voice vote the amendment of Representative Barbara Lee, declaring once and for all that the United States will
not build permanent bases in Iraq:
Lee's amendment, which would bar the use of any funds in the new spending bill to establish permanent bases, passed on a voice vote, with no one speaking in opposition. President Bush and some top administration officials have said the U.S. military has no interest in permanent bases, the prospect of which is among the causes of anti-American unrest in Iraq.
Representative Lee's statement on the House floor:
"Mr. Chairman, the amendment we are offering is very simple: it would provide that no funds be used under this bill to enter into military base agreements between the US and Iraq. Stating this will clearly indicate that the U.S. has no intention of making military bases permanent.
"Mr. Chairman, can't we all agree--right here and right now--that we should not be in Iraq permanently. Unfortunately, Mr. Chairman, the administration's position is unclear.
Mr. Chairman, the President shares our view and has said as much. April 13, 2004 the President said, `as a proud and independent people, Iraqis do not support an indefinite occupation, and neither does America.'
"But just yesterday, General John Abazaid, the Army general in charge of the US troops in Iraq, told the House Defense Appropriations committee that the U.S. could end up having permanent bases in Iraq.
"Mr. Chairman, we need to be clear. The aim of our amendment is to simply codify the sentiment that the President, many of our constituents, and many of us strongly believe.
"As we stand here today, the United States has renewed a bombing campaign against the insurgents; the largest assault since the invasion. And this is taking us in the exact wrong direction. Destroying villages in the hopes of routing out insurgents will only create more.
"In adopting this amendment we can take the target off our troops' backs by sending a strong and immediate signal to the Iraqi people, the insurgents, and the international community that the United States has no designs on Iraq.
Will the Lee amendment be stripped out in conference? We don't know. Another unknown is what to do with the permanent bases that may already be in construction. Earlier this year, it was revealed that the United States is pouring billions of dollars into building four super-bases in Iraq. For background, check out Tom Engelhardt's rundown from last month, and a great piece on permanent bases over at Mother Jones. The military has acknowledged building bases of a "more permanent character," though it maintains those will be passed along to Iraqis. Still, it struggles with what to label these permanent structures in the meantime. "Enduring bases" sounded, well, too permanent, so the term was changed last year to "contingency operating bases."
Lee's amendment is a positive step towards signaling to the Iraqis that the U.S. does not seek a permanent military presence on their soil. Now whether the facts on the ground will match up with public statements on the matter is an entirely different issue.