The cat’s out of the bag. The real reason we’re in Iraq? Forget weapons of mass destruction, deposing a tyrant, promoting democracy, ending terrorism.

Buried in Gen. David Petraeus’ charts submitted to Congress is the real reason: to establish a huge U.S. military presence in the heart of the rich Middle East oil fields. It’s euphemistically called “strategic overwatch.” An inconspicuous chart on “Recommended Force Reduction-Mission Shift” implies that 30,000 to 40,000 U.S. troops would remain in Iraq beyond 2011. Why else are we building massive military bases in Iraq, constructing the biggest U.S. embassy in the world, and expending U.S. blood and treasure to assure a compliant government in Baghdad?

Too bad members of Congress, who have voted at least twice to end permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq, missed the opportunity to focus debate on the Bush administration’s fundamental geopolitical strategy. Are Congress and the American public, despite the lessons of history, prepared to carry on this military occupation with all its costs into the indefinite future?

Edward F. Snyder

Bar Harbor