Congressman Ron Paul: Leaving Iraq??

It is not often that I am pleased by the foreign policy announcements from this administration, but last week's announcement that the war in Iraq was at its final stage, and all the troops may be home for Christmas, did sound promising. I have long said that we should simply declare victory and come home. It should not have taken us nearly a decade to do so, and it was supposed to be a priority for the new administration. Instead, it will be one of the last things done before the critical re-election campaign gets into full swing, but better late than never. Examining the fine print, is there really much to get excited about? Are ALL of our men and women really coming home, and in this time of economic crisis, are we going to stop hemorrhaging money in Iraq? Sadly, it doesn't look that way! First and foremost, any form of withdrawal that is happening is not simply because the administration realized it was the right thing to do. This is NOT the fulfillment of a campaign promise, or because suddenly the training of their police and military is complete, and Iraq is now safe and secure, but because of disagreements with the new government over a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). The current agreement was set up by the previous administration to expire at the end of 2011. Apparently, the Iraqis refused to allow continued immunity from prosecution for our forces for any crimes our soldiers might commit on Iraqi soil. Can you imagine having foreign soldiers here, with immunity from our laws and Constitution, with access to your neighborhood?