Blair is 'Using Our Troops to Boost Bush' : UK

[meganmonkey]

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1017-02.htm

"Tony Blair last night stood accused of conspiring to use British troops in Iraq as a "political gesture" to help George W Bush in the US presidential election.
The Prime Minister faced protests from all sides over plans to redeploy British forces to an area 25 miles south of Baghdad, freeing the US 24th Marine Expeditionary Force for an expected assault on the rebel stronghold of Fallujah."

"Nicholas Soames, the Conservative defence spokesman, also expressed concern yesterday and suggested that British troops were being moved for political reasons. "We need to watch the timing of all this," he said, "and to be careful that this isn't just being used as a kind of political gesture to reassure the Americans of Prime Minister Blair's support for the American efforts.
"What alarms and awes me is the timing of this operation, particularly during Ramadan.""

"Robin Cook, the former foreign secretary, added: "I'm not going to discount that. I would not be surprised at anything this administration did. But I don't think Tony Blair needs to show any more support for Bush. He has already done that in spades."

Gen Walker, the most senior officer in the Armed Forces, is said to be concerned that the Army should not be "bounced" into sending troops into Baghdad simply because the Americans have sustained more casualties than the British."
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so reassuring to know that getting more British troops killed will help Bush in the polls here in the US. that kind of logic just can't be argued with.
At least the British Labour, LibDem, and Conservative leaders all agree that this is f*cked up.