US fears that Brown wants Iraq pull-out

[spindrifter]

From The Sunday Times July 29, 2007

Sarah Baxter in Washington and David Cracknell

A SENIOR Downing Street aide has sounded out Washington on the possibility of an early British military withdrawal from Iraq.

Simon McDonald, the prime minister’s chief foreign policy adviser, left the impression that he was “doing the groundwork” for Gordon Brown, according to one of those he consulted.

<snip>

The view is Britain feels it can’t fight two wars, and Afghanistan is more worth fighting for,” added the source. Yesterday a British soldier was killed during a rocket attack in Afghanistan, bringing to 67 the number of British fatalities there.

McDonald’s questions, coming in the wake of remarks by Douglas Alexander, the international development secretary, about the use of American power, and the appointment of Lord Malloch-Brown, a critic of US policy, as a Foreign Office minister, were seen by some in Washington as another signal that Brown is distancing himself from Iraq.

<more>




http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2159281.ece

[Olney Blue]

1. No Brown-nosing the chimp.

[Selatius]

2. Mussolini has been deposed. Italy can't help Nazi Germany now.

Our Fuehrer still stands tall and fights on in his war against the savages.