Some Anti-War Reps. Still Oppose Iraq Pact

Many breathed a sigh of relief when the Iraqi government approved a U.S. troop withdrawal pact last week, roughly validating the timeline set out by President-elect Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign, but a handful of anti-war representatives are maintaining their opposition to the pact.

A bill expressing disapproval of the deal was put forth yesterday by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who leads the House Progressive Caucus, along with five of her fellow caucus members and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas).

Lee and other anti-war Democrats have long opposed the negotiating process for the security pact, alleging that any deal would amount to a treaty, and that the Bush administration sought to circumvent Congress’s constitutional authority to ratify it. The new bill levels that same charge at the newly approved agreement, which would see all U.S. troops withdraw from Iraq by the end of 20111.

Some opposition to the pact may have withered: