British Foreign Sec: US is changing direction, not us.

[Rose Siding]

Margaret Beckett, the foreign secretary, acknowledged that Britain had not marched in lock step with the White House on the current troop issue, as it has been accused of doing in the past by its critics in Europe and at home. Mr. Blair has announced that he will step down this year, and some political analysts say that he wants a significant troop withdrawal from Iraq to offset the damage to his legacy caused by the war there.

Speaking to a parliamentary panel on Thursday, Ms. Beckett said the impact of the change in American strategy would be “somewhat limited” for Britain. “Obviously it’s an issue that people will look at, but I would say that it’s a change of direction, as the president says, for the United States and doesn’t necessarily imply a change of direction for us,” she said.

Earlier, she told reporters: “We are dealing with the security situation in Basra. It is not our intention at the present time to send more troops.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/world/europe/12britain.html

[LeftishBrit]

1. In other words, the poodle is retiring, so we may not have to obey Mad King George any more!