No permament U.S. military bases in Iraq

It's official. The New York Times reports:

By a vote of 399 to 24, the House adopted a resolution that would limit federal spending intended “to establish any military installation or base for the purpose of providing for the permanent stationing of United States Armed Forces in Iraq or to exercise United States economic control of the oil resources of Iraq.”

Democrats said the measure, the latest in a series of politically tinged war votes, was needed to make it clear that America had no plan for a permanent military presence in Iraq — a fear they said was fueling some attacks on American troops and building the insurgent resistance.

Not that there were plans for permanent bases in the making, as the Times goes on to acknowledge:

House Republicans offered little resistance, saying the plan essentially reflected current law and Bush administration policy. But they criticized Democrats for what they said was meaningless legislation since the administration had not called for permanent bases.

“The bill brought to the floor by the majority today represents yet another political stunt, and an intellectually dishonest one at that, because the United States has never proposed establishing a permanent base in Iraq or anywhere else,” said Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, the Republican leader.

But still, sometimes such theatre is necessary. Republicans might have known this was the case. I'm not sure most Americans did. And I'm certain most people in Iraq, the neighboring states, and many scholars who cover the region didn't.

Anyway, this should help refute at least some of the endless conspiracy theories.