Airstrip One

So Unbelievable

The Sunday Telegraph, reported yesterday, that senior military staff were unhappy at the decision of the Blair administration to postpone the reinforcement of troops in Iraq due to political considerations.

The Sunday Telegraph said the decision to "postpone" the announcement had infuriated British defence chiefs.

The paper quoted one unnamed senior officer as saying: "Military strategy has become subservient to political expediency. We want to get on with the task (of reinforcement), but we're being held back for political reasons -- namely (next week's) elections."

Blair denied this in a released statement but, in a testimony to his wolfcries: the assurance that the deployment of troops will not be subject to political expediency is not taken at face value.

When the distinction between intelligence and political spin was merged in the run-up to the war, this question was voiced in the minds of cynics: is it not possible that Blair would place the volunteers of the British Army at greater risk in order to improve his political image in the campaign for the elections on June 10th?

(18.05, 31st May 2004)