i think he has a point

Iraqi prime minister Nouri al Maliki has joined the chorus of voices criticizing the US plans for staying in Iraq. hes right. at this point were doing very little good. we are only suppressing some of the violence and terrorism that we create there. not to mention all the ill will we are creating by being there anymore.

the negotiations are to replace the current UN agreement that governs our presence over there. the current one expires at the end of the year. Maliki wants continued protection from outside influence in Iraq, but doesnt want to give US troops and especially not contractors immunity from Iraqi courts. sounds reasonable to me. scale back the presence to a few forts, mostly supporting air power and continue to help train Iraqis and get our battered troops home.

the American side wants immunity, but its a good check on power. you think we'd give any other nation's military immunity inside the US. no way. plus, the shoot first, aske questions later policy becomes a lot less viable when you know that an Iraqi court might hand down a death sentence for your murder of a civilian. the way i see it, we need to be gone. we ought to support from the outside, but lest take the internal training wheels off at least. its what they want, and its what we need.