New Iraq Contracts Belie Quick U.S. Departure

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June 02, 2008 10:59 AM

Even as presidential candidates debate how quickly to withdraw American forces from Iraq, the U.S. government bureaucracy appears to be preparing for a longer slog there.

Contracting documents show the Pentagon and State Department are looking to hire "mentors" for Iraqi government officials, security personnel to protect Iraqi judges, linguists, and food service for a new U.S.-run prison, according to the Washington Post's Walter Pincus.

The contracts run for a year, and offer up to four subsequent "option years," if the U.S. government decides to use the services that long.  The documents illustrate how deeply involved the American government has become in bolstering Iraqi civil society -- and underscore "the difficulty the next president will face in pulling personnel out of the country," Pincus writes.

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., the odds-favored Democratic presidential nominee, has said he would withdraw the majority of U.S. forces within 16 months of assuming office. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., his challenger, has said she would bring the first troops back from Iraq within 60 days of her inauguration, and direct her top military officials to "draw up a clear, viable plan" to bring the others home.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has said he expects most U.S. troops could leave Iraq by 2013.