The Reality-Based Community

 Brits out, says their general

The professional head of the British Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt (the job title is Chief of the General Staff), has gone very public with concerns about the damage that involvement in the US-created Iraq quagmire is doing to his troops. (Note that he's led them in Northerm Ireland, Kosovo, and Bosnia, and interestingly thinks that Afghanistan, currently the bloodier conflict for Britain, is doable.)

In a radio interview this morning to the BBC's flagship morning news programme Today, (audio link from here, about half-way), he said:

Don't let's break [the Army] on this one.

In a long earlier interview with the mass-market tabloid Daily Mail he said UK troops should

get ourselves out sometime soon because our presence exacerbates the security problems.

It's all wrapped up in statements of loyalty to Blair and solidarity with our American allies - he doesn't even pretend they are getting it right -, but don't be fooled. The man must be practically facing mutiny in the ranks to put his job on the line with such a public challenge to the government. There are times when I'm proud to be British.