Zinni is right. This is a bad idea. The reason for that is simple. The peoples of the region and across the world of Islam will regard this as proof that they were correct in their previous belief that all the high rhetoric about "liberation" and "democracy" was a lie and that the war in Iraq is simply a renewal of Western imperialism in the Middle East. They will see this as inherently anti-Islamic, a "crusade" against their religion and Islamicate culture.
The presence of such permanent bases will unify resistance against us even if those fighting us continue to fight each other.
If there is an expectation that there will be support for such a presence in any of the surrounding states, that expectation is mistaken. Even if some of the governments voice support in private, they will be under such popular pressure to oppose the permanent US garrisons that their support will be unreliable and in some cases the governments will secretly support those who oppose us.
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