EarlyBird:

I take it to mean that Maliki really does believe his country is getting strong enough to stand on its own two feet, or at least wants to derail this permanent presence which the Bush admin and McCain have in mind, ala S. Korea and Western Europe.

No kidding.

On a side note, I think McCain's "make it 100 years" statement was totally misrepresented. He didn't want to keep over 100,000 soldiers in there and fight a war the whole time, he wanted a Korea, W. Europe style deal.

That beind said, I still oppose it.

At this point, I think our presence in Korea and W. Europe is doing more harm than good in that it's created a dependency on US power and military strength and ironically causing their citizens to despise us because they never have to seriously consider fighting for their own freedom, making the wars we wage on their behalf look like the act of a barbarous, violent nation.

Europe should have handled Bosnia, if for no other reason than to grow up.

There was a reason that post WW2 Europe and post Korean War Korea needed our help.

There is no reason that these now rich, prosperous nations need substantial american military support.

I'm tired of "waging welfare" in Europe and indirectly funding their social welfare system. They don't have to spend on their militaries or make hard political choices and sacrifices because we do it for them.

That makes them weaker, not stronger.

If Iraq can and wants to survive without "momma America" now, that makes the Euros look pretty weak by comparison.

60 years since WW2...60 years is enough time to recover. It's why I really think this is about Hegemony, not necessity.

Or, after seeing the mess "Enlightened Europe" made of their own continent, Africa, China, and the Middle East, mayby our government doesn't trust them