Sue Sponte

Looks like things are getting interesting for GW. If the British do not join, can the U.S. seriously consider moving forward?

Article here

Zar

The U.S. can and likely will move forward with war anyway, if you mean whether anything will literally stop it. The political fallout increases greatly, of course, but these guys have decided long ago what they wanted to do.

Consequently, the world's counter punches will be stopped by America's face.

Thor Q. Mada

The US has long time ago decided to go to war. Once you start a military build-up like this, the thing takes its own momentum ,and there is only one way forward.
Also, the face loss in case everybody goes home peacefully would be huge.
On top of that, if we all go own , the deployment has not fullfilled its main function: use as much ordinance as possible so that the factories supplying all the military hardware can make new stuff.
Also if you have exciting toys like the MOAB , we boys we want to test this real life won't we?? Not just on a fake in Florida somewhere.
Don't forget also we have to make good on all these election promises, (of-course not the one's to the voters) made to the economical lobby that got him elected.
Disgusting. The worst is, it is going to work. The Iraqi army consists largely of conscripts whom at the first chance will change their military clothes into civilian outfits and walk home, unfortunately only after large of their numbers have been killed for nothing.
And nobody questions the winner, as even Hitler knew.
By the way, the US is looking more and more like Nazi Germany with their "Heimat Security" and paranoia and propaganda and uniforms everywhere.

seanie

We're not essential. Our soldiers might come in handy for certain operations but we don't have the same sorta hardware. Our involvment is more political than military.

But Blair's in too deep. He won't withdraw. He really believes in it.

God's probably spoken to him.

King's Indian

Hello,

I don't think what TB does (or doesn't do) offers much of a brake to US foreign policy. The UN, Turkey: these probably cause more concern, and even those won't significantly affect things. What we do as citizens will probably have the most effect, although it may not look like that at ground-level. The "coalition", being as weak as it is, isn't going to collapse suddenly at the loss of the bug-eyed one's support.

seanie

It's also worth noting the British Government's response to Rumsfeld's comments.

They've been falling over themselves to insist they'd be first over the top in any attack.

You say "Jump."

We say "How high?"

King's Indian

Hello,
What gives your point even more force is that HMG is hardly going to be there, sweating in the trenches and itching inside their helmets when the CO blows the whistle.
KI.

seanie

I'm sure Tony will be with them in spirit.

And to be fair you wouldn't want to let Blunket loose with a tank.




He'd just try to blow the shit out of the refugees anyway.

crocodile deathroll

I wish Rumsfleld would speak the same of Australia.
However there is hope with the resignation of one of Australia's most senior security advisors Andrew Wilkie
But in the mean time we are stuck here with Yankee Poodle Jonny

Jolimont

Are they playing good cop/bad cop?