Friday, December 02, 2011

Perhaps You Could Stay a Bit Longer

As we near our final date in Iraq, the Iraqis are pondering our return:

"No doubt, the U.S. forces have a role in providing training of Iraqi forces," Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said after meeting Vice President Joe Biden, who is here to mark the withdrawal and to inaugurate a new phase in relations between the United States and Iraq. ...

[Administration] officials have suggested that once the withdrawal is complete - a politically significant milestone in both the United States and Iraq - the two sides could negotiate the return of U.S. troops to the country for training purposes.

It makes sense. But it made sense to simply stay in Iraq in the first place. But maybe the Iraqis need a decent interval where we are gone just to show we'll go.