Blair under renewed pressure to deliver exit strategy from Iraq

Mork has started talking about "changing tactics" in Iraq, so it was only a matter of time before Mindy chipped in.

Today, bang on cue, Blair stated:

In a potentially significant change of tack, the Prime Minister will today concede that the British approach to Iraq must "evolve" to tackle the changing nature of the conflict.

I don't know why Blair even pretends that we have an independent foreign policy, I mean - seriously - who the f#ck does he think he's kidding when he says this? We all know that James Baker is talking to Bush about the possibility of involving Iran and Syria in future discussions and that the recent US elections have signalled that the American people have finally had enough of this quagmire, so the simple truth is that Bush is now officially looking for a face-saving way out.

So Blair, pretending to still possess a smidgen of independence, announces that our tactics are to be reviewed.

There are calls from across the political spectrum for Blair to announce his "exit strategy", which is cruel in the extreme. Bush has yet to decide on the exit strategy, so what the Hell can Blair possibly say about it? He can't tell these upstarts anything if his boss hasn't even made up HIS mind yet, can he?

The Scottish Nationalist Party and Plaid Cymru are tabling an amendment to the Queen's Speech demanding a Commons debate on an exit strategy.

It is also being backed by Kenneth Clarke, the former Conservative chancellor, Clare Short, the former Labour cabinet minister and the Labour left-winger John McDonnell. Ms Short, who has resigned the Labour whip, said: "We need to know what the exit strategy is - we need to have a serious discussion about it. Despite the optimism after the American elections, I believe there isn't one, because the Americans want permanent bases in Iraq. On the present strategy, the insurgency will continue indefinitely."

I think there was a time when the US wanted permanent bases in Iraq, but I now think Bush will settle for anything that allows him to exit whilst declaring victory. Of course, his options for doing that are extremely limited, as we now have an Iraq at the tipping point of civil war. But that's the hope.

Blair, of course, is totally at the mercy of Bush's exit strategy, whilst having to pretend that he is somehow part of the decision making process.

It shows how far out of the loop he is that he is still talking about Palestine and a "just settlement". I happen to agree with that sentiment but am left wondering if Blair has been paying any attention to who he has got into bed with for the last six years. The Republicans may be wounded after the election but their pivotal pro-Israeli stance will not change.

To be fair Blair, has always pushed for a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian problem and has, rightly, always identified this as a major cause of terrorism around the planet.

However, I never got the feeling that Bush and his neo-con gang were remotely serious when they spoke of addressing this issue, and one always got the feeling that Blair was being fobbed off whenever this subject was discussed.

Now we are approaching the end game, and Bush is actually being forced to look for a way out of Iraq, as opposed to his preferred solution of passing the problem - and the inevitable withdrawal and implicit admission of defeat - on to his successor.

Blair is choosing this as his moment to play his cards for the solving of the larger Middle East picture? Talk about missing the bloody point.

As Bush showed recently with his firing of Rumsfeld before the final votes were even counted, he will stab anyone in the back to keep the blame for this debacle as far from himself as possible.

If Blair thinks now is the time for Bush to enter into the quagmire of the Israel/Palestine dispute, then he must be on smack.

Just as he's being totally delusional if he thinks any of us believe that the UK has an independent plan for an Iraq withdrawal.

tag: war on terror, Iraq war, Blair, Bush, "Stay the course", British troops