(Source) But the rules governing that presence should be similar to those accorded the U.S. military in countries like Japan and Germany–i.e. without the right to act unilaterally on Iraqi terrain. Any intimation that the U.S. is forcing conditions on the Iraqis will result, as Meyer notes, in long-term resentment and reaction–and continued violence against our troops.

In the end, as I’ve written here before, there is no good rationale for a permanent U.S. military presence in Iraq; it will be a permanent irritant. And this seems one of the clear foreign policy differences in the presidential campaign: McCain wants a long-term presence. Obama doesn’t.

If the U.S. doesn’t show humility before the world, we have no reason to expect them to respect our sovereignty.