Army (British) 'risks being chased from Iraq'

[bemildred]

Tony Blair risks a "historic" humiliation over the British Army's continued presence in Iraq, a former colonel said last night.

Tim Collins, whose eve-of-battle address during the Iraq war has been praised as among the greatest in British military history, raised the spectre of the Army being defeated by insurgents and chased out of the country. He called on the Prime Minister to "fall on his sword" after presiding over what he termed a "right rollicking cock-up".

Ministers are likely to try to shrug off his attack as a politically motivated move by a Conservative Party supporter, but the former soldier's credentials add weight to his comments.

His starkest warning was that Britain, which has about 9,000 troops in Iraq, could pay an unthinkable price for its political leaders' "incompetence and lack of direction". He told Channel 4's Morgan and Platell programme: "The danger is that we could face defeat in the field. We could be overwhelmed. The Army could be chased over the border into Iran."

Telegraph.UK

[skooooo]

1. "right rollicking cock-up".????

What's that mean?

[TomInTib]

5. pretty much a cluster***k n/t

[pretzel4gore]

9. think george junior ...

then it's a delightfully astutely stated descriptive...

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. 'A "right rollicking cock-up"."

A colorful way to put it...

[lcordero2]

3. that sounds really bad

[grytpype]

4. It's not looking good for Peance and Freeance.

Looks to me like Peance and Freeance are in big, big trouble over there.

[bahrbearian]

6. well it wouldn't be the first time the British were chased out of there.

[bonito]

7. Getting out is not going to be easy

It could be disastrous for ether side, there's going to have to be a large scale international presence to assure withdrawal and peaceful resumption of sovereign or tribal nation(s) there.

[lcordero2]

10. doubt that's going to happen

After 12 years of sanctions, I would treat all foreigners as carpetbaggers and would do my best or die trying to give them the boot.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

8. Right rolling cock-up... I think that is what Churchill called

Dunkirk

[IndianaGreen]

11. Tim Collins: 'The Army could be chased over the border into Iran'

And the thing is, as the article points out, is that Tim Collins is a Tory.

[bemildred]

15. Yep, it's not Red Ken saying this. nt

[teryang]

12. The American and British position in Iraq is more tenuous...

...than many Americans realize. It is such a logistical burden to maintain forces so far away. The expedition would not be possible for Britain without American military support.

American military presence in Iraq and the logistics infrastructure to support it is so incredibly expensive and financed by massive debt as American dollars hemmorhage overseas. Such a house of cards has a finite life span of necessity. It is so flimsy, that the offensive use of nuclear weapons was announced as policy before the invasion, because professional military observers knew the operation overexended American forces during the planning phase and expose our forces to incredible risks WHICH HAVE NOT YET BEEN REALIZED.

I really think the temptation now is the politically expedient one of widening the conflict to conceal what a massive failure the operation has been militarily thus far simply to keep the current crop of extemporizing criminals in power.

Military defeat is usually terminal for any regime.

[LynnTheDem]

13. From the Green Zone roof, baby!

Oh and don't expect flowers and choccie from Iranians. ;)

[daleo]

14. His analogy is revealing of a colonialist mindset

"Asked if the Army could be "absolutely defeated in the whole of Iraq", he replied: "That could happen. That would be the ultimate victory for terrorists everywhere. It would be the same as a council estate, if incorrectly policed, eventually coming to a point where the police don't go in. Indeed, the police get chased out.""

The article doesn't really say what his solution is. I have a hunch he would want to escalate.

[bemildred]

16. That would not surprise me. nt