Smearing Britain

By Michael J.W. Stickings

This is what the Bush White House -- that is, what Bush himself -- does to friends who no longer do what it (he) wants. (Which says a lot about Bush's view of friendship.)

As Think Progress is reporting, "a senior White House foreign policy official" has informed Britain's Daily Telegraph that "[t]he White House no longer views Britain as its most loyal ally in Europe since Gordon Brown took office..." This official made two key points, one pertaining to the British prime minister, the other pertaining to Britain's military:

-- "There's concern about Brown. But this is compensated by the fact that Paris and Berlin are much less of a headache. The need to hinge everything on London as the guarantor of European security has gone."

-- "Operationally, British forces have performed poorly in Basra. Maybe it's best that they leave. Now we will have a clear field in southern Iraq."

In short: FUCK YOU!

Bush has found new and fast friends in conservatives Nicolas Sarkozy in France and Angela Merkel in Germany. He may not quite realize that they're not necessarily his sort of conservative, that they don't necessarily buy into his righteous, delusional visions, that they do not necessarily approve of American hegemony, that they do not necessarily want the U.S. to have "a clear field" anywhere, and especially in Iraq, but when your other (and former) friends are coming to their senses, maybe any new friend will do, anyone who kisses your ass and makes you feel so good about your pathetic self.

It may be that Bush has less in common with Gordon Brown than with Tony Blair and that, in principle, he objects to Brown's views on Iraq. But should that be enough to turn him against his most important ally, a historical partner, the one major power that has sided with him throughout the Iraq War and Occupation? Thanks for nothing, the message seems to be.

And more: Britain sent thousands of troops to Iraq. France and Germany didn't, and neither did other close friends like Canada. Britain participated in the invasion, the war, the occupation. Britain lost many of those troops on the battlefield -- fallen heroes, all because Bush wanted so badly to go to war with Iraq, all for Bush's misadventure in Mesopotamia, all for what turned out to be a horrible failure, a lost war. Thanks for less than nothing, the message seems to be, you weren't any good and it's good that you're leaving. For Bush, the warmonger who has never been to war, or anywhere near a war, this is simply appalling. With this new spin, he (and one presumes that the official was speaking in an official capacity, that is, for the president) has smeared not just an entire country, a friend, a loyal ally, but each and every British man and woman who put on that uniform and went off to fight in Basra, and elsewhere in Iraq, who fought Bush's disaster of a war.

As a British citizen myself, I'd like to respond: FUCK YOU, MR. BUSH.

And I'll leave it at that.