Delay May Lead to Iraq Referendum on US Troops

Delay May Lead to Iraq Referendum on US Troops on antiwar.org

The Iraqi government continues to scramble to get ready for tomorrow’s talks on the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and tentatively the vote (though it has already been delayed twice this week).

Does anyone notice that while the Iraqi parliment is going to vote on this, and apparently the Iraqi people might just get to vote in a referendum on the occupation continuing, here in the greatest democracy in the history of the universe, we are getting no such thing.

There is no vote in the US Congress about ending the occupation and the war. And there is certainly no referendum before the American people on the issue. Instead, we get an 'election' where one candidate pretends to be an 'anti-war' candidate while really intending to do nothing but continue pretty much the same policies as before.

Meanwhile ... Congress should vote on Iraq agreement

The Iraqi Parliament delayed to Thursday the long-awaited vote on a measure outlining the terms of a U.S. troop withdrawal. In an article in the Boston Globe Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Bill Delahunt, D-Mass., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, noted it was "sad" that lawmakers on Capitol Hill did not have a similar chance to weigh in on the agreement.

Back during the campaign, Obama apparently felt that it would gain him some votes to say he wanted to have this go to a congressional vote.
barackobama.com on SOFA

Obama and Biden also believe that any security accord must be subject to Congressional approval. It is unacceptable that the Iraqi government will present the agreement to the Iraqi parliament for approval—yet the Bush administration will not do the same with the U.S. Congress.