The agreement was signed just moments ago in the atrium of the presidential palace in Kabul. President Obama will now return to Bagram Airfield to address the American troops there, and then from Bagram will deliver a ten minute address to the American people that will be carried live on U.S. television at 7:30 PM, EDT.
Just last week the rumor was that the strategic pact wouldn't be signed until Mr Karzai attended the NATO summit in Chicago. This would have allowed enemies of the United States and Afghanistan additional weeks to continue to make last-ditch efforts to block the agreement. So while the signing of the pact won't cover all the outstanding issues connected with the post-2014 U.S. stay in Afghanistan, it will put a crimp in the machinations, which were launched on February 1 with the leaking of a NATO report to two British press outlets, the BBC and London Times.
In other breaking news, within the past hour the al Qaeda terrorist who plotted to bomb a subway in New York City has been found guilty all nine counts.