In today's
LA Times, Ron Brownstein writes about Larry Diamond's concerns and the Bush Administration's unwillingness to state publicly whether or not it intends to hold onto permanent bases in Iraq once the formal occupation is over.
I believe that while declaring our intention to fully withdraw from Iraq when "the time comes" does not solve our problems there, it would be one fewer irritant to the insurgents and also reduce the drain on the U.S. Treasury that this ongoing conflict has become.
I'd be interested to know how much of that $18 billion plus which was supposed to fund reconstruction in Iraq has actually gone towards building permanent structures at the bases our soldiers and Marines currently utilize.