BUSH COMMITS U.S. TO AN "ENDURING" PRESENCE IN IRAQ

PROGRESS REPORT - The administration has announced one of its goals is an endless, unqualified, "enduring" presence in Iraq. President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki "signed the new U.S.-Iraq 'declaration of principles' during a secure video conference morning." The key principle in the agreement, according to the White House, is that "Iraq's leaders have asked for an enduring relationship with America, and we seek an enduring relationship with a democratic Iraq." Iraqi officials told the Associated Press that "Iraq's government will embrace a long-term U.S. troop presence in return for U.S. security guarantees as part of a strategic partnership." The White House's determination to establish a permanent presence in Iraq contradicts its long record of declarations against permanent bases. In a press briefing yesterday, White House war czar Gen. Doug Lute said the new long-term occupation plan won't require Congress's approval. "We don't anticipate now that these negotiations will lead to the status of a formal treaty which would then bring us to formal negotiations or formal inputs from the Congress," said Lute.