You mean the international relations of the State Department, CIA and the rest of the inside-the-beltway pencil-necks whose idea of foreign policy is first class travel (on the taxpayer) to visit their overseas friends and....bend over.

The pre-Bush policies were giveaways by the generally contemptous (and contemptible) Foreign Service and absolute incompetence by the "intelligence" agencies that gave us....9/11.

To all of you "professionals" whining about Bush (and subverting his policies), get your fat asses out of the beltway (or some cushy embassy) and get a real job.
No, that's not gonna happen;
"work" is a 4-letter word in the government.

Taking a shot at any alies soldiers doesn't pass the smell test. There is no way the WH would want to deal with comments like that at a press conference.

Earlier today I read somewhere something about part of that reasoning was explained by the reduced level of violence in the area since the Brits turned over security to the Iraqis, or something like that. Well, let's see. The largest insurgent army in the south of Iraq has been in a cease fire for a month. Could that be the reason for the reduced violence? Or maybe, possibly that the Brits did their job & did it well when training the Iraqis?

“Maybe it’s best that they leave. Now we will have a clear field in southern Iraq.”

Sure. And just where the hell are you gonna come up with the 5000 or more troops to replace the Brits and do that little job? You done run out of foot soldiers, Charlie. That's why troop numbers are coming down this month. Remember?

PS what happend to spell check??

You mean the one built into the website? Get Firefox, it has it built in to every form text area, much easier to use.

Unfortunately, I find this report quite believable. Bush has some paranoid tendencies and occasionally takes his glib “you’re either with us or you’re against us” line way too seriously. Except, oddly, when dealing with those who are actually against us rather than allies with disagreements in how to achieve mutual aims.

After seven years you're just now coming to these revelations. The damage this nutjob has done to Americas international relations is almost criminal and will take a generation to fix. And you guys gave him 4 more years to break even more things. Thanks.

I'd hang my head in shame if it wasn't already on the ground.

“Operationally, British forces have performed poorly in Basra,” said the official. “Maybe it’s best that they leave. Now we will have a clear field in southern Iraq.”

Now that's chutzpah. Wasn't it just the other day that we were talking about the success our erstwhile British allies had in pacifying the said region?

Dishonoring the service of our must trustworthy NATO ally would be sheer madness

Ummm, where have you been for the last 6.5 years? "Sheer madness" is the bedrock upon which Bush admin policy is built...

PS what happend to spell check??

All that to say, I'm not surprised that any of this is happening. Isn't this how politics always is?

Or perhaps I'm too jaded.

Blair was considered Bush's lapdog, whereas Brown actually thinks for himself. It is the latter which troubles Bush.