It is not for me to say that Sir Richard Dannatt, chief of the army, spoke out of turn when he said it would be better for Britain to get out of Iraq. He may not have meant to imply that Britain (ergo, the Yanks too), have made little progress, are making enemies daily and, that the presence of the coalition troops is "exascerbating" the problem.But he did imply that it is a "useless" war and he is right. If the General spoke out of turn, I'm pleased he did.

Unfortunately, there are those who do not like the truth, no matter how couched or how damped down it is. I, respectfully, would like to suggest that the General would have said more if he could have.The kudos must go to him for questioning the farce that is the occupation of Iraq.

Facts are more important than supposition and I venture my own thoughts based on these facts:
* 650 000 Iraquis have died since the beginning of the war.It is blatantly obvious that the Coalition cannot stop insurgency or provide the Iraqui people with adequate security.
* British and US soldiers are blamed for the daily carnage in Baghdad and other cities. They are blamed because many Iraquis regard them as harbingers of doom, condemning normal daily life to exhausting tribulation. They are blamed because Iraquis do not trust them. They are blamed because they cannot resolve the carnage,provide a continous electricity supply or ample water.
* Many Iraquis blame Bush for the destructive disruption to their daily lives---many are happy with Saddaam's downfall but question the price they have to pay for that.
* There is a constant harping in the media about a pending civil war. I suggest it started over a year ago.

The biggest problem, as I see it, is that it has now become impossible for the Coalition to withdraw. They are in too deep and "between a hard rock and a sticking place" ---it is a catch 22 situation--and if I knew all the answers I would be a hero.

There are no heroes in this war and George Bush (and Tony Blair), will go down in history as "warmongers" and " pseudo saviours" of Iraq.

They have failed the Iraquis and they have failed us.