The British on Iraq

Melanie Phillips has also been thinking and writing about the required shuffling of the American high command.

Those who said, when the Democrats routed the Republicans in the US mid term elections, that the celebrations by the surrender brigade were premature and that President Bush was made of sterner stuff, may be in the course of being proved correct. There are now signs of a debate taking place in Washington, which might just move the US away from self-delusion and towards hard-edged sanity. The outcome of this debate could not be more critical.

Encouragingly, there are signs that Bush may have now accepted what has long been apparent – that he has been ill-served by his top brass in Iraq. The US commander–in-chief wants to win – but has realised that his generals merely want to manage a retreat. Now there’s been a shake-up. The head of US Central Command, General Abizaid, was retiring anyway. According to this story in the New York Times, General Casey, the general commanding the coalition forces in Iraq, is also to leave Iraq very soon and earlier than planned. Gen Casey, it appears, wanted America to leave Iraq before the country was secured. Now it’s Gen Casey who is leaving Iraq instead.

Explore posts in the same categories: Truth, War