[MasdMnPa]

No link yet, it's the banner on CNN:

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair will announce on Wednesday a new timetable for withdrawing British troops from Iraq, with 1,500 to return home in several weeks, the British Broadcasting Corp. reports. Interesting.

Matt

[LesLattis]

Very interesting indeed.

You mean instead of insisting on "victory" without any defined plan or timetable, he's defining a plan and a timetable?

How unreasonable of him. [sarchasm]


What does America do now that our main buddy in this fight is going home?

[xLQLRcXh]

Here's a link to the story as reported by the BBC.

[JTS_tv]

He must be a cut 'n run Democrat!

[AAAESLLESO]

So does this mean the Prince ain't going to Iraq?

[annouhMus]

He must be a cut 'n run Democrat!

this is how dumbly partisan posters can get. It should be a wake up call that the US is TRUELY alone in it's dealings.Even our allies don't agree. (Except likely Israel HEH HEH)

[Gintovtosik]

Maybe there is no reason for the British soldiers to be there anymore.

[DrCeshing]

Doesn't Bush still have gifts in kind from Morocco.........no?

[esenesesinas]

As I wrote in another post, we have accomplished our original goal in Iraq.

We expect other people to instantly embrace our ideals and concepts of holy democracy. We wallow in the freedoms we have and do not understand why other people do not lust for similar freedoms. True democratic freedom is a concept that is mostly alien to most of the people in Iraq. They cannot understand it and the price it exacts of those who experience it. We have given them an opportunity to pay the price and earn their own freedom. The price is giving up the past and working together toward the future that is possible. Until they see this they are doomed to be, as they see it, an occupied country. Until they give up fighting amongst themselves like heavily armed children they can never be free as they should be. Of course, American-style freedom is a type of religious failure to hardline Muslims. We must let them select their own poison and drink it themselves.

We did what we felt we had to do and we did it well; as expected. We can all take pride in our military personel and the job they can do when politicos let them. We must stop sacrificing for an ungratefull mob. How much oil is one more son or daughter's life or limb worth.

Forever_poor

[Thifiadardivy]

Agreed with the above post. We can only give the Iraqi's the set of drinks. If they choose poison, they choose poison. It's time to come home.

[gimffnfabaykal]

He must be a cut 'n run Democrat!

No, unlike Democrats, the British stayed until they completed their mission -- to train Iraqi troops in the Southern part of Iraq [specifically Basra] and since Iraq's own forces and police are on the frontline, British troops are no longer needed.

[WaydayTew]

As I wrote in another post, we have accomplished our original goal in Iraq.

We expect other people to instantly embrace our ideals and concepts of holy democracy. We wallow in the freedoms we have and do not understand why other people do not lust for similar freedoms. True democratic freedom is a concept that is mostly alien to most of the people in Iraq. They cannot understand it and the price it exacts of those who experience it. We have given them an opportunity to pay the price and earn their own freedom. The price is giving up the past and working together toward the future that is possible. Until they see this they are doomed to be, as they see it, an occupied country. Until they give up fighting amongst themselves like heavily armed children they can never be free as they should be. Of course, American-style freedom is a type of religious failure to hardline Muslims. We must let them select their own poison and drink it themselves.

We did what we felt we had to do and we did it well; as expected. We can all take pride in our military personel and the job they can do when politicos let them. We must stop sacrificing for an ungratefull mob. How much oil is one more son or daughter's life or limb worth.

Forever_poor

iraq has become a land of extremes. most experienced professionals and entrepreneurs left the country long ago. i'd say the majority of those who are left either lack the resources to leave or have a very definite agenda they're pursuing. how can a western style democracy take root in the midst of instability, zero sustainable infrastructure, and extreme agendas? its expecting the impossible. what do you think the US would look like if all the professionals and those with means packed up and left the country in less than 3 years?

[Helloheshess]

No link yet, it's the banner on CNN:
Interesting.
Matt

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair will announce on Wednesday a new timetable for withdrawing British troops from Iraq, with 1,500 to return home in several weeks, the British Broadcasting Corp. reports. They will reduce the number of troops in Basra.

Reduction ... is to reduce the numbers, not to withdraw them all, to withdraw some but to leave behind, I'll tell you what they are leaving behind, they are leaving behind thousands of troops
SBS - WORLD NEWS AUSTRALIA

[viagraman]

Greetings and Felicitations,

Maybe there is no reason for the British soldiers to be there anymore.

Maybe its because we are sending more troops. Why should they risk their soldiers when we are willing to sacrifice ours? I think that if things continue then America will end up doing it alone.

I wonder what the effect will be on the morale of our troops when our staunchest ally, except for Australia, pulls their troops out.

Sincerely Yours,
C. David Neely

[xLQLRcXh]

Not that they have many troops there, but Denmark has announced that they are withdrawing .... or maybe I should say, redeploying home?

Source

[Fainnamoony]

Greetings and Felicitations,



Maybe its because we are sending more troops. Why should they risk their soldiers when we are willing to sacrifice ours? I think that if things continue then America will end up doing it alone.

I wonder what the effect will be on the morale of our troops when our staunchest ally, except for Australia, pulls their troops out.

Sincerely Yours,
C. David Neely

emphasis mine

Great point! I didn't even think of that.

I wonder how they (the troops) will take it? Will they see it as being negative because their numbers are actually increasing? Will they see it as a positive thing because some parts of the country are stable enough to reduce troops in the area?

I am also curious to learn why the UK didn't just move them to a different part of the country?

[viagraman]

Greetings and Felicitations,

I am also curious to learn why the UK didn't just move them to a different part of the country?

I just heard Cheney's response to the withdrawal. The British are withdrawing because they obviously feel that things are going good in Iraq. Talk about trying to make bad news into good news.

Sincerely Yours,
C. David Neely

[YpbWF5Yo]

As I wrote in another post, we have accomplished our original goal in Iraq.

We expect other people to instantly embrace our ideals and concepts of holy democracy. We wallow in the freedoms we have and do not understand why other people do not lust for similar freedoms. True democratic freedom is a concept that is mostly alien to most of the people in Iraq. They cannot understand it and the price it exacts of those who experience it. We have given them an opportunity to pay the price and earn their own freedom. The price is giving up the past and working together toward the future that is possible. Until they see this they are doomed to be, as they see it, an occupied country. Until they give up fighting amongst themselves like heavily armed children they can never be free as they should be. Of course, American-style freedom is a type of religious failure to hardline Muslims. We must let them select their own poison and drink it themselves.

We did what we felt we had to do and we did it well; as expected. We can all take pride in our military personel and the job they can do when politicos let them. We must stop sacrificing for an ungratefull mob. How much oil is one more son or daughter's life or limb worth.

Forever_poor

They've accomplished nothing, other than handing Iraq to Iran.

The so-called "war on terror" has been a fraud from the very beginning and the rest of the so-called "coalition" got the hell out of Iraq as soon as they recognized that this was just an American-made fraud.

Blair, like other leaders who led their troops into Iraq, is being removed by his own people for doing so. The same fate may await the leaders of Canada and Australia .. who will follow in the footsteps of the leaders of Spain and Italy and now England.

As soon as the US meets its Saigon Moment in Baghdad, Iraq will move even closer to Iran and become our next enemy.

Hundreds of thousands of dead people on all sides of the fight, billions upon billions of taxpayer dollars thrown away and into the pockets of the plutocrats, only to end up with Iraq as our next enemy and to empower Iran beyond their wildest dreams.

Great accomplishments.

[YpbWF5Yo]

No, unlike Democrats, the British stayed until they completed their mission -- to train Iraqi troops in the Southern part of Iraq [specifically Basra] and since Iraq's own forces and police are on the frontline, British troops are no longer needed.

The Brits stayed until the british people demanded that they get out in no uncertain terms. There is an election coming soon in Britain and Blair was dragging down the entire Labour Party with his puppy-love for Bush and support for a misreably failed war.

If the Brits were as all in as you suggest, they could have engaged the war in parts of Iraq were the majority of the fighting is taking place. The Japanese demanded that they put their small contingent of symbolic troops where they would be nowhere near they fighting. They didn't even want to hear gunshots.

This had nothing to do with "Mission accomplished" and everything to do with the will of the Brfitish people to get their troops the hell out of Iraq.

Nice attempt at making lemonade though.

[PypeMaypetasy]

totally makes sense their sectors are passed over and pretty much insurgent free

they have done their job and should go home