Just Asking

The U.S. will ask the Iraqi government for the right to conduct combat operations and detain prisoners and will seek legal protections for American troops in an agreement that defines a long-term relationship between the two countries, a U.S. defense official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said those provisions will top the list of U.S. demands in talks with Iraqi officials for an accord that will extend beyond the presidency of George W. Bush.

[...]

"The way to think about the framework agreement is an approach to normalizing the relationship between the United States and Iraq," [Secretary of Defense Robert] Gates said at a Pentagon news conference.

  Bloomberg

Don’t we already have those rights?* Funny that. Asking rights of a country you essentially occupy. I think the “demands” choice of words is more accurate.

But, let's pretend we don't actually occupy Iraq. Let's pretend they have a functioning independent democratic government. Or even that they might have one some day in the foreseeable future. If you can conduct combat operations, detain prisoners, and have immunity for your soldiers in a foreign country, what does that make the relationship, please? Is this the Iraqi sovereignty about which the Bushites wax poetic?

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.

*It seems that we do, under a UN resolution, but that will expire at the end of this year.