The position of George Bush and John McSame on Iraq has been consistent, adamant, and simple: victory not surrender. So when will Gen. Petraeus be court-martialed?

"We have to let go, and we're not reluctant to do that. And the Iraqis are not reluctant to take control," Gen. Petraeus said.

Could there be a clearer statement of surrender than this?

Petraeus' surrender appeared in yet another article about an all-but-signed "deal" to extend the U.S. military occupation beyond the 12/31/08 expiration of the U.N. mandate. But just like every previous "deal," this latest one is nowhere near "done."

President George W. Bush is almost certain to accept the agreement, according to U.S. officials. The administration believes that the deal doesn't require congressional approval and won't present it to U.S. lawmakers.

Oh really? What if U.S. lawmakers insist it does require their approval? 

The situation is more complicated in Iraq. The draft agreement must be approved by several layers of Iraqi political leaders. Several members of Mr. Maliki's cabinet have voiced opposition to elements of the deal. The Iraqi Parliament, which also has to sign off on the deal, is in recess until the end of next month.

So the Iraqi parliament is more important than the U.S. Congress? That might be ok if Iraq was paying $12 billion per month for the occupation, but U.S. taxpayers are paying the bill while Iraq is running a $79 billion surplus due to soaring oil prices.

But what about the Iraqi parliament? We know its main objection is to immunity for U.S. contractors and troops. Bush gave up on immunity for contractors months ago, but continues to insist on immunity for troops. Did Bush finally accede to Iraq's demands? No.

One of the last remaining roadblocks had been whether U.S. military personnel would enjoy immunity from prosecution under Iraqi law. Mr. Humood, Iraq's chief negotiator on the agreement, said joint committees of U.S. and Iraqi officials will be formed to resolve such issues when cases arise.

Ah, the old case-by-case trick. Will Ayatollah al-Sistani buy it? No. Will Muqtada al-Sadr? No. Will Iraq's Parliament? No.

Once again, the Bush administration is lying about the "deal" being "done." Once again, it looks like 12/31/08 will come and go without a signed deal, and our troops will have to come home.