Are the Brits RIGHT to withdraw their troops as we SEND more into harms way?

Question

The Brits are withdrawing 1600 of the 7000 troops they have in Iraq, from a high point of 48000 in 2003.

When is Bush gonna stop putting the Brightest, Bravest and Strongest at risk as our allies see the error of their ways.?

Carolinatinpan... 'There is peace in the South'. I just give up. I am not going to qualify that idiotic statement by commenting further.

Answer 1

The Brightest, Bravest and Strongest do not join the Military. Not in any country. Politics decree that Blair takes troops out. He wants his career to continue. Fat Chance.

Answer 2

Blair planned Iraq war from start. Blair was right from the outset committed to “regime change” in Iraq.

Inside Downing Street Tony Blair had gathered some of his senior ministers and advisers for a pivotal meeting in the build-up to the Iraq war. It was 9am on July 23, 2002, eight months before the invasion began.

The discussion that morning was highly confidential. As minutes of the proceedings, headed “Secret and strictly personal —
UK eyes only”, state: “This record is extremely sensitive. No further copies should be made. It should be shown only to those with a genuine need to know its contents.”

In the room were the prime minister, Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, Geoff Hoon, the defence secretary, Lord Goldsmith, the attorney-general, and military and intelligence chiefs. Also listed on the minutes are Alastair Campbell, then Blair’s director of strategy, Jonathan Powell, his chief of staff, and Sally Morgan, director of government relations.

What they were about to discuss would dominate the political agenda for years to come.

For the secret documents — now seen by the public— reveal that on that Tuesday in 2002: Blair said
“If the political context were right,” “people would support regime change.” Straightforward regime change, though, was illegal. They needed another reason.
By the end of the meeting, a possible path to invasion was agreed and it was noted that Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, chief of the defence staff, “would send the prime minister full details of the proposed military campaign by the end of the week”.

Outside Downing Street, in the rest of Britain, tensions were running high, and fears of terrorism were widespread. But Blair’s constant refrain was that “no decisions” had been taken about what to do with Iraq.

The following day in the House of Commons, Blair told MPs: “We have not got to the stage of military action . . . we have not yet reached the point of decision.”

It was typical lawyer’s cleverness, if not dissembling: while no actual order had been given to invade, Blair already knew Saddam Hussein was going to be removed, sooner or later. Plans were in motion. The justification would come later.

As a civil service briefing paper specifically prepared for the July meeting reveals, Blair had made his fundamental decision on Saddam when he met President George W Bush in Crawford, Texas, in April 2002.

Now with Saddam Hussein removed for good and Iraq forces taking over in the South, the British are reducing their troops in the South of Iraq. For the British "Job done."

Answer 3

Yeah right, just more hogwash from Bush's main cheerleader. All they are doing is using any means available to get and keep their lying little hands on every last drop of Iraqi crude they can, before the curtain comes down. Of course people have such short memories, the lying man has said similar things before.

Answer 4

Look it's humanist being wrong.Whats that? Oh ok it's nothing new. There is no violence in the south. There is no enemy there. That's why they are leaving. There is peace in the South and in the North. The Sunni triangle is the only region of conflict. Al Quiada is fighting for their very existence there. They are killing so people like you will do what you do. You are aiding them with your outrage .

Answer 5

everyone knows that the major problem is the "sunni triangle" and especially baghdad. You do not hear about major issues in the northern kurish area and you rarely hear about major issues in the southern shiite area. It is often in baghdad where there is a mix of sunnis and shiites and other sunni dominated areas where the americans are, so i think the british dropping their troops is a good sign and shows how stable that area is.

Answer 6

the question of RIGHT and WRONG is not for the americans to decide...they are having a tough time too because of the grave mistakes that the current administration did, and they have their own share of shame and guilt, but they decided to regain their honor just today.

Answer 7

Yes they are and Bush should be doing the same Let Iraq run its own country and affairs

Answer 8

Brits are cutting and running as usual. Besides, the British are not respectable people. They are a fallen superpower.

Answer 9

What we think about it doesn't matter a bit. It's up to the Brits, and it's their decision.

And stop with the Bush bashing...it's lame and serves no point.

Answer 10

They are not going to have all their troops out for another couple of years. It is a political ploy by Blair.