FOREIGN FUN

British General Dips His Teabag In Exceedingly Hot Water

The new chief of the British army, General Richard Dannatt, wasted no time in dipping his teabag in exceedingly hot water by suggesting that British troops should withdraw from Iraq “soon,” and soon after that, he said, “Ouch!”

Only on the job since August, Dannett quickly attempted to cool down the heat, saying, “Dammit, my comments have been misinterpreted. I didn’t mean to disagree with my boss Blair. When I said ‘sometime soon,’ I meant that in the context of the campaign plan, and, as soon as I locate one, I’ll elaborate.”

Some European reporters have dared to note that the general may be reacting to a possible reprimand from Tony Blair’s government.

Yet the soldier, who is obviously not a sufficiently cunning diplomat, is dealing with a pot he brought to a daunting boil. Listen to him before he knew what he was getting himself into. "I don't say that the difficulties we are experiencing round the world are caused by our presence in Iraq, but undoubtedly our presence in Iraq exacerbates them."

Still unaware that there were blisters just ahead, he went on to say, while the coalition attempted to establish a Democracy in Iraq that would be "exemplar for the region… That was the hope. Whether that was a sensible or naive hope, history will judge… I don't think we are going to do that. I think we should aim for a lower ambition. I think history will show that the planning for what happened after the initial, successful war-fighting phase was poor, probably based more on optimism than sound planning….Whatever consent we may have had in the first place may have turned to tolerance and has largely turned to intolerance."

How does such an unsuspecting general cool down a teapot with that much heat in it?

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