British Turning French?

Following 9-11, Prime Minister Tony Blair (previously a Bill Clinton drinking mate) cozied up to George W. Bush and followed the Americans not only into Afghanistan, but also into Iraq. The British public did not share his enthusiasm, despite 9-11 having been the greatest single terror attack in British history (number of citizens killed).
Since Blair's departure from No. 10 Downing Street, the Brits have been trying to disentangle themselves from American involvements. But it's approaching the sublime...

First, the Brits turned tail and bailed out on Basra, which President Bush attempted to spin as "progress".

Then came word that the British Army may have cut a deal with the Mahdi Army to sit on the sidelines when the Iraqi government came calling to shut down the Shia militia kleptocracy that had taken over Basra.

But now, the British Parliament is warning British soldiers not to turn over prisoners to the Americans:

British troops who hand over prisoners in Iraq to US military personnel could find themselves facing prosecution, according to a legal opinion compiled for parliament. The finding has led to calls for the British government to rethink its current policy and investigate how the US treats its prisoners, and whether torture is employed against them.

With allies like these...


UPDATED:
Now there's a British Brigadier claiming the war in Afghanistan can't be won.:

Britain's most senior military commander in Afghanistan has warned that the war against the Taliban cannot be won. Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith said the British public should not expect a “decisive military victory” but should be prepared for a possible deal with the Taliban.
His assessment followed the leaking of a memo from a French diplomat who claimed that Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, the British ambassador in Kabul, had told him the current strategy was “doomed to fail”.
Carleton-Smith, commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, which has just completed its second tour of Afghanistan, said it was necessary to “lower our expectations”. He said: “We’re not going to win this war. It’s about reducing it to a manageable level of insurgency that’s not a strategic threat and can be managed by the Afghan army."

Now, it's true that there's no real document outlining the metrics of success for Afghanistan, and the likelihood of a massive battlefield victory is pretty slim. But to openly state that you can't win is a bit overly pessimistic, even for the British.

By: Widow 6-7