The Busheviks are finally admitting what I've been saying for weeks: the Iraqi government will not accept Bush's occupation terms as spelled out in his proposed Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). AP reports,

The Bush administration is conceding for the first time that the United States may not finish a complex security agreement with Iraq before President Bush leaves office.

Faced with stiff Iraqi opposition, it is "very possible" the U.S. may have to extend an existing U.N. mandate, said a senior administration official close to the talks. That would mean major decisions about how U.S. forces operate in Iraq could be left to the next president, including how much authority the U.S. must give Iraqis over military operations and how quickly the handover takes place.

Maliki wants our troops to keep him in power, but he's not willing to give them immunity for war crimes as Bush is demanding.

So now attention shifts to the U.N. Security Council. Will Maliki actually request an extension of the U.N. mandate that authorizes the U.S. occupation, after he promised last December's extension would be the very last?

We'll be watching...