Permanent Bases Project

Last month after Hillary Clinton mentioned in an interview that she supported a continued military mission in Iraq even after troops are redeployed out of Iraq.

This brought up the questions of the United States having permanent military bases in Iraq. I have heard the United States is building 14 permanent military bases in Iraq. 14 bases in a country the size of California.

Liberal Oasis wrote last month about starting a Permanent Bases Project where people would ask the presidential candidates if they support having permanent military bases in Iraq. Liberal Oasis wrote...

Having troops in the region to counter actual terrorism operations is legit. Having troops there permanently to project illegitimate influence and undermine the sovereignty of others is not.

What's Sen. Clinton's agenda? On one hand, she has not flatly rejected permanent bases in Iraq. On the other, she has flatly supported robust diplomatic engagement in Iran and not belligerent regime change.

Is that good enough? Maybe.

If you're sincere about diplomatic efforts, having troops nearby could be a useful (though not necessary) bargaining chip.

But if those troops are clearly staying permanently, that's a signal that you're not sincere, and diplomacy will be undermined.

There are a bunch of candidates visiting Iowa this week. If you get a chance to see one of them and ask a question, consider askng them if they support having permanent bases in Iraq and how many troops would be stationed there.