Ryan Crocker this morning before the Senate Armed Services Committee, on the White House’s intent for future U.S. security agreements with Iraq:

“It is our intention to negotiate as an executive agreement…we don’t intend to negotiate any binding commitments that would require the Senate’s advice and consent.”

Well, you can’t put it any more plainly than that. Meanwhile, The Guardian reports today that a leaked copy of the draft strategic framework agreement contains no limits on the number of US forces that will be maintained in Iraq, the weapons they’re able to deploy, their legal status, their power over Iraqi citizens, or the length of time they’ll remain.

The point here, of course, isn’t whether the administration can keep the agreement’s language from veering into the terrain that would technically classify it as a treaty. The point is that once again, the White House has reinforced its unwavering stance that when it comes to maintaining an open-ended occupation of Iraq, both public and Congressional opinion don’t matter one whit.