The Brits are leaving Iraq!

[The Count]

Bush gets ready for Iraq U-turn by Brown
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/05/20/wirq20.xml
By Tim Shipman in Washington, Philip Sherwell and Patrick Hennessy, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 20/05/2007

Gordon Brown is prepared to risk the future of the "special relationship" with the United States by reversing Tony Blair's support for the Iraq war, President George W Bush has been warned.

Gordon Brown in Iraq
Gordon Brown is expected to announce British troop withdrawals

He has been briefed by White House officials to expect an announcement on British troop withdrawals from Mr Brown during his first 100 days in power. It would be designed to boost the new prime minister's popularity in the opinion polls.

[BOSSHOG]

1. An Army of One, a Coalition of One and yet bush continues to stay the course

Thanks Mr Gordon Brown. You are supporting your troops, our president is a dumbfuck motherfucker bouyed by ignorant trash flag wavers in our country who have never done anything FOR their country. They like to spread their conservative values like poison in a nursery.

[Monkeyman]

3. Yep

[ThomCat]

5. Tell us how you really feel, Bosshog.

C'mon don't hold back. I think you're being a bit too kind by just calling * a dumbfuck motherfucker. He worse than that and so are the brain-dead flag waving twits that still support him.

:)

Infomaniac on Thomcat's PC.

[primative1]

16. Doesnt The Island Nation Of Palua ..

... still supply us with cocunuts?

[dave_p]

22. "Withdrawls" again, not withdrawal

"The number of British troops in Iraq is being cut from 7,100 at the start of the year to 5,500 - but there is no official timetable for full-scale withdrawal."

Blair's already been scaling down the Brit presence, handing over Maysan to the Iraqi "army" last month. This is just more of the same, though they'll probably be out in 2008 anyway apart from some support units.

Don't get too excited, Gordon can play poodle too. And he's not so keen on foreign policy. Any improvement in Britain's role's likely to owe more to prime ministerial ennui than conviction.

[Lugnut]

27. K&R

It's too bad individual posts can't be K&Red.

[brettdale]

2. I wonde if Olielly wants to boycott Britain

I hope Brown pulls all the troops out.

[More Than A Feeling]

4. What a concept, doing things that make you popular with a majority!

What does he think Britain is, a democracy or something?

[Demeter]

6. You're a Good Man, Gordon Brown!

You're a good man, Gordon Brown
You're the kind of reminder we need
You have humility, nobility and a sense of honor that is very
Rare indeed.


Woof!


You're a good man, Gordon Brown
And we know you will go very far

Yes it's hard to believe
Almost frightening to conceive
What a good man you are.


You are kind.


You are kind to all the animals
And every little bird
With a heart of gold
You believe what you're told...


Every single solitary word


You bravely face adversity
You're cheerful through the day
You're thoughtful
Brave and couteous


And you also have some faults
But for the moment let's just say


That you're a good man, Gordon Brown
You're a prince
And a prince could be king
With a heart such as yours
You could open any doors
You could go out and do anything
You could be King Gordon Brown
You could be king!

(If only the Windsors would abdicate!)

[jimshoes]

7. It seems to me that

chimpy and his band of thugs are played out. The game is over. They lost everything. The shit is going to be hitting a fan somewhere. The house of cards is tumbling down. They've crapped out. I need some more metaphors.

[jwirr]

12. There was a picture last week here on DU that said it all. Gonzo

and Sleezie were standing with *ss. That is all he has left and they are not all that secure.

[Grandrose]

15. Busted!

Nail in the coffin or blowing in the wind or high tailing out of town? :rofl:

[EFerrari]

28. Those worked pretty well.

lol

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

8. Quite excellent turn of events, I must say.

:toast: MKJ

[Kagemusha]

9. "Designed to boost the new PM's popularity in the opinion polls" Ugh!

No, it couldn't possibly be to extract Britain from a military and strategic quagmire, it has to be cheap cowardly playing to "public opinion"!

Nice phrasing, Sunday Telegraph.

[IChing]

10. I thought that was something when they pulled the Prince out

You know die for "king and country and all that"?

Nope.....cannot do it, cannot do it and all that.

[Grandrose]

11. Thank Goodness!

It is too dangerous for Prince Harry...guess it's the same for everyone else.:think:

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. Please consider the source: The Tory Telegraph, via the White House

This is what "White House officials" and 'advisers', the National Security Council, the Pentagon and the State Department, a Republican congressman and President Bush's aides are saying. Blair, and "a source close to the Chancellor" deny it.

The only source worth trusting is Kerry, who says Brown will support Democratic calls for Iraqi government benchmarks.

This story doesn't appear on the BBC, in The Observer, or Independent on Sunday. Be suspicious of it.

[tjwash]

19. Hey it's better than our usual source--some guy on the internet....

:rimshot:

[IChing]

20. Thanks, interesting power play going on since Howard Dean came back

from Europe

Europe and GB know that this administration is acting like
a Dictator on the world stage.

I think talking to our allies and enemies vs dictating to them is more conducive
for world peace.

[Crunchy Frog]

14. What will the Brits be called now? Tea drinking surrender monkeys?

Will tea be renamed "Freedom Beverage"?

This very special relationship consists of Britain getting repeatedly fucked in the ass by America, and then being expected to be grateful. If I were British, I would want to get out of the "special relationship" ASAP.

[wakeme2008]

17. Tea drinking surrender monkey

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[tjwash]

18. The British are going! The British are going!!

One if they bail by land, two if they scoot by sea.

Guess that gets Harry off the hook once and for all...

[Forkboy]

34. LMAO

:thumbsup:

[Terri S]

21. The Brits are leaving Iraq??

Let me know if and when this really happens.

[pretzel4gore]

23. but why did blair support bush in 1st place?

that's the thing. W/out Britain, the Iraq war never get off the ground, pigmedia never sell it. So Blair played along. But WHY?
If it takes torturing Tony Blair for answer, it be worth it to find out WHY! Possibly only case in human history where torture (the real thing, pulled out fingernails, hanging tony's kid on meathook etc) is justified, hell necessary! WHY?

[izzie]

24. I do not blame them. They better get home and watch that.

Pretty soon they will be having people from the middle east voting in their style of religious laws in England at the rate they are going. I understand they are already having problems in this line. In a Dem. the minorities must be protected along with the majorities and you never find that in places where religious takes over and becomes the laws of the land. Any one who has read any Am. history knows that. I do not believe Eur. has separation of church and state like we do and it has always been a problem with them. Not that we are doing so well with that any more. It is just not in the Middle East at all unless one looks at Turkey and they are having problems. Even Jewish people keep their religious pretty pure and it filters into their laws.The Brits getting messed up one more in the Middle East just is a very bad move and I have felt this since Blair sent them in.

[muriel_volestrangler]

33. "I understand they are already having problems in this line"

Where do you understand this from? What do you understand? What rate do you think England is going at?

There was a recent attempt by the Roman Catholic church to get a religious exemption for discrimination laws - so that it could continue to refuse adoption services to same-sex couples. The church was defeated. That's the most recent attempt to vote in a religious law. How do you connect up the Middle East and religious laws in England?

[izzie]

35. I read someplace that their were towns/cities in Eur. that

were voting in laws that were, (is it laws like Saudi Arabia?) and that say you are an Arab in Europe or live in that town you fall under these laws, which the POP, in this so called town vote in. The largest vote in that place was behind them. EX. If you can beat your wife their is not much a judge can do about it if the law said it is OK to beat your wife. I found it all sort of crazy as how can religious laws take over the countries laws but then it was pointed out that many of these countries are going with a more of less democrat way of the most votes gets to do the law. This is not how it works here. We can vote in anything but it can not go counter to our Constitution. That is all put so badly I am unsure you will understand what I am talking about but many countries do have this style of govt. It is so hard to be sure that the minority in a society do not get stepped on when a majority want some thing. This country has always worked to keep both safe. When you think God is with you and how you believe it is even harder to keep people that do not think like you safe. Please get back to me on this. It is an interesting subject even if I have put it badly.

[muriel_volestrangler]

36. I'm not sure how I can get back to you on this

I haven't heard of anything like this, and I think it would be big, verifiable news if had actually happened.

News about immigrants and religions is often distorted, misreported or even made up by people with various aims - as an example, always treat anything that comes from an organisation called "Migration Watch" with suspicion, although they often get quoted in news reports. Without specific references, all claims like "special laws" should be treated as incorrect - passed on through too many people until whatever the reality was has been lost.

Remember that most countries around the world, including most European countries, have constitutions too, and such laws would be against them. Even Britain, which doesn't have an explicit constitution, has incorporated the European Convention on Human Rights into its law, so that sections like Article 3 - "No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" are principles which other British laws must not contradict.

[izzie]

38. It could have been internet garbage and I am guessing it was

from what you said. I do know that we hear of troubles with people from other countries in Europe. I would say your Constitution gives about the same rights as ours does as I would think most of Western Eur. does. So majority rights are protected. I have not read about the countries from behind the Iron Curtain and how they have done since that came down, in protecting their majorities at all. I do know that when Churches of all types move into rule that often majority is sort of left out. Our own history has done this over and over. Just read about the Puritans to see where I come from on that. My family were Puritans and Pilgrims. And some where said to maybe be Quakers a no no in the 'City on the Hill'. They hung them until the King said stop it. I lived in Saudi once and I sure would hate to have to live under laws like that as a full time thing. I frankly do not care if they do but please do not make me live like that. Thanks for getting back to me and I will watch out for garbage on this thing. I also still think the Brits should get out of Iraq and right behind us getting out.

[stillcool]

25. But will they take these guys...

with them?

The Baghdad boom
Mar 25th 2004 | BAGHDAD
From The Economist print edition

British companies have been grousing about losing out to the Americans in Iraq. But in one area, British companies excel: security

THE sight of a mob of Iraqi stone-throwers attacking the gates to the Basra palace where the coalition has its southern headquarters is no surprise. What's odd is the identity of the uniformed men holding them off. The single Briton prodding his six Fijians to stand their ground are not British army soldiers but employees of Global Risk Strategies, a London-based security company.

Private military companies (PMCs)—mercenaries, in oldspeak—manning the occupation administration's front lines are now the third-largest contributor to the war effort after the United States and Britain. British ones are popular, largely because of the reputation of the Special Air Service (SAS) regiment whose ex-employees run and man many of the companies. They maintain they have twice as many men on the ground as their American counterparts. According to David Claridge, managing director of Janusian, a London-based security firm, Iraq has boosted British military companies' revenues from £200m ($320m) before the war to over £1 billion, making security by far Britain's most lucrative post-war export to Iraq.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In industry jargon, these companies' manpower is split into Iraqis, “third-country nationals” (Gurkhas and Fijians) and “internationals” (usually white first-worlders). Iraqis get $150 a month, “third-country nationals” 10-20 times as much, and “internationals” 100 times as much. Control Risks still relies on westerners, but ArmorGroup, a British rival, employs 700 Gurkhas to shepherd America's primary contractors in Iraq, Bechtel and KBR. Erinys's corps of pipeline protectors is overwhelmingly Iraqi. The cheapness of the other ranks, compared with western soldiers, is one reason why PMCs are flourishing. “Why pay for a British platoon to guard a base, when you can hire Gurkhas at a fraction of the cost?” asks one.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The boom has led to two worries. The first is lack of regulation. Stressed and sometimes ill-trained mercenaries operate in Iraq's mayhem with apparent impunity, erecting checkpoints without authorisation, and claiming powers to detain and confiscate identity cards. A South African company guarding a Baghdad hotel put guns to the heads of this correspondent's guests. According to the CPA, non-Iraqi private-security personnel contracted to the coalition or its partners are not subject to Iraqi law. Even the industry is concerned. Regulation is vital, says ArmorGroup's Christopher Beese, if Iraq is not to descend into the law of the jungle.

Second, the boom may be eroding Britain's defences. Just when the war on terror is stretching the SAS to the limit, the rising profitability of private sector work is tempting unprecedented numbers of its men to leave. An SAS veteran estimates that some 40 of its 300 corps requested early release from their contracts last year. Another guesses that there are more ex-SAS people in Iraq than there are currently serving in the regiment. Head-hunters poaching military talent, say critics, risk turning the army's elite corps into little more than a training school for PMCs.
http://www.sandline.com/hotlinks/Economist-Baghdad.html

[IChing]

26. Why not the Hessians? They were cheap for the British.

OH, that's right, that was in "COLONIAL TIMES"

in the times of the real" Washington" and not

the "Washington" that leads us now.

[IChing]

31. I only responded to you because you are right....Mercenary armies

You have a great point.

[illinoisprogressive]

29. I like this guy

[opihimoimoi]

30. The Brits will declare victory then leave with Bagpipes blazing and colors flyin

[northofdenali]

32. Let's see.....

Freedom muffins -
We'll speak Freedom, not English -
The Oxford Freedom Dictionary -
Encyclopedia Freetanica -

Ahhh, neocons. What would we do without 'em (and what a wonderful thought that is...)

[NNN0LHI]

37. Actually they have been leaving since they got there

They began with over 30,000 soldiers and are down to about 5000 now.

Kind of like a reverse surge.

Don

[tavalon]

39. And the Coalition of the Unwilling grows again

As well it should. Isolate the strange and dangerous Americans.

[and-justice-for-all]

40. Excellent news!! K&R

[Dave From Canada]

41. LOL, the Brits have been leaving for the last 4 years. They invaded with 45,000 and they're down

to 7,000, You guys are just figuring this out now?