It sure looks like a retreat, doesn't it?
Basra is Iraq's second largest city. British troops are now stationed at the local airport, Basra Air Station, awaiting a ride home. Ironically, the new British HQ is where George W. Bush chose to make his PR stopover last night, lauding "progress" in the area.
Don't be fooled. Here's what one resident said as the Iraqi flag was raised over Basra Palace:
"We as an Iraqi people reject occupation. We reject colonialism. We want our freedom."In London, the British pullout has renewed calls for a full enquiry:
We must not be in denial any longer. If a people or a government is guilty of serious wrongdoing, on a scale from the discreditable to the shameful, then we know from experience that it becomes itself a victim of its actions.Today's Newspoll suggests Australians are finally preparing to dump Howard and enter the 21st Century. But it's not enough just to pick a new PM and pull the troops out. We also need an unbiased enquiry into how we ever got involved with this disastrous War Crime.
Australia still "seems a strange democracy where truth is discouraged".
