Senate: No Permanent Bases in Iraq

The U.S. Senate accepted an amendment Wednesday mirroring Rep. Barbara Lee's House measure to prevent creation of permanent military bases in Iraq.

The Senate amendment to the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill to bankroll the war, introduced by U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., puts the chamber on record against permanent U.S. military bases or control of oil in Iraq. The House unanimously approved a similar amendment by Lee, D-Oakland, on a March 16 voice vote.

"Despite all of the division and the partisanship about when to leave Iraq and under what circumstances, I think there is one thing that everyone ought to be able to agree on, namely that we should not be in Iraq permanently," Lee said in a statement issued Wednesday. "As long as we keep the door to a permanent military presence open, we will continue to fuel the insurgency, undermine the security situation and keep the targets on our troops' backs."

FULL STORY