Pure speculation but the timing of UK's pullout to Price Harry being ready to be deployed is interesting. I wonder of the royal family applied any pressure there?

British troops have been deployed primarily in the Shi'ite dominated south, where there has been very little of the internecine fighting that has been occuring in the more ethnically mixed central regions. And as a result, the transition of policing authority to the Iraqi military and civilian law enforcement agencies has gone much smoother. So, this isn't really a vindication of the Bush strategy, so much as it is an acknowledgement that, just like in the Kurdish-dominated north, in regions where there is relative socio-religious homogeneity, stability is possible.

Plus, Tony's short-timing, so this helps to put a little brighter gloss on his impending exit from 10 Downing St.

Brighter gloss than what? Tony Bliar is probably the least popular man in the history of Britain, certainly less so than Thatcher at her most imperious. People just HATE him; they're spitting mad, right, left and center. He has NO fans left. Far more so than Bush over here. With Bush, there's a certain aspect of, well, what did you expect, the man's a monkey; but Bliar was SUPPOSED to be better. And, if Bush is bad, how much worse is it to be a bad man's poodle? Tony Bliar is one of the great political disasters of all time now.

Why are our Allies going home instead of coming to Baghdad?

Don't forget Denmark - they're coming home too - so that we can leave in a mad dash for helicopters at the very end.

@2: It is indeed a vindication of the Bush strategy qua "they rise up, we draw down". However, as you point out, that strategy won't likely pay out for the U.S. forces, due to the civil war.

Another point to keep in mind: while the British have it relatively easy in Iraq, they patrol the worst parts of Afghanistan. I assume this influenced the decision to redeploy.

"pulling out"?
"pulling in"?

sounds like someone is getting fucked..

lol @ strangeways. Yes, indeed.

rofl @ strangeways. Yup, it's the USA. If we were smart we'd be heading for the exits now.

Dakota,

Yeah, there's definitely Afghanistan to consider, but you'd think the Brits would have been over-and-done with that, considering their history in the country.

Fnarf,

Perhaps I should have clarified; at this point Blair is admiittedly polishing the huge, steaming turd that has been his term in office, but I would venture to guess even he considers a polished turd preferable to an unpolished one.

michael strangeways, everything is about fucking. check this usatoday headline about the british pullout:

The 'Coalition of the willing' shrinking

Blair saving his political ass. I is a mess, he won't admit it and he does not want to go down with Bush. it is all politics being played at the expense of the lives of others.
The 3rd largest force we never talk about and that is always overlooked in Iraq is the Polish forces. they are leaving too. Bush knew this all along and that is why he wants more troops there because everyone is pulling out.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6380933.stm

Bliar doesn't have to worry about "going down with Bush". He's already down as low as a person can go, much lower than Bush (who will go to his grave never understanding or even knowing what people think of him). Bliar doesn't have a political ass to cover; he's such a huge liability to Labour now that he's going to get the Tories elected next up -- a party that a couple of years ago was on the verge of disbanding.

100 people were surveyed, and the number one answer: "fucking cunt, isn't he".

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