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The Nation
A Permanent Presence
In his first debate with President Bush, John Kerry made a surprisingly bold assertion about US policy toward Iraq: 'I think a critical component of success in Iraq is being able to convince the Iraqis and the Arab world that the United States doesn't have long-term designs on it,' Kerry said. 'As I understand it, we're building some 14 military bases there now, and some people say they've got a rather permanent concept to them.'
Though the media ignored Kerry's statement and failed to do any substantive follow-up research, his comments were well-grounded in reality. On the day of the debate the Christian Science Monitor spotlighted the findings of defense specialist John Pike, whose website, GlobalSecurity.org, located twelve 'enduring bases' in Iraq, including satellite photos and names. In March, the Chicago Tribune reported that US engineers were constructing fourteen such long-term
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