Unexpected Source of an Exit Strategy

Sometimes there is some real news! Two of Yale's best have written that there is a way out of Iraq!

Apparently, there are two bases for the legitimacy of the Iraq invasion. According to the congressional authorization, the first granted the President authority to "defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq." This basis no longer exists. There is no Iraq threat (apart from its own chaos!).

The second basis is the need to enforce all relevant UN resolutions. But, the resolution authorizing the United States to be at the head of the multinational force EXPIRES on 31 December. Without a new resolution, the president will have no authority to continue to operate.

Granted, Bush is trying to negotiate a bilateral agreement with Iraq for maintaining US presence in Iraq. However, without receiving Congressional approval (and it has been made clear that there is no intention to do so), the President will have no authority to continue to operate his "war on terror".

There is hope that we can see this catastrophe ended by necessity.

We can then focus on seeing how the Iraqis deal with this new environment. Admittedly, the scene in Basra is not too promising (so many of the military, including officers, fled the scene!).