BBC BREAKING: Blast near UK base in Iraq

[gp]

Blast near UK base in Iraq

There has been an explosion near the headquarters of British forces in the southern Iraqi city of Basra.
The blast destroyed two cars parked near the entrance of the base, a correspondent for AFP news agency at the scene says.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

On Wednesday, a British soldier was killed and another wounded in south-eastern Iraq, when a convoy of troops was attacked by a crowd.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3193047.stm

[Must_B_Free]

1. How convenient for Tony Blair

...

[11cents]

2. Convenient - hardly

Any attacks on or casualties among British troops just intensify the questioning of how and why the troops got there in the first place.

[MoonAndSun]

4. This will not be good news for the Poodle....

every death reported to the British public will damage him and, hopefully, the Labour Party will have the guts to dump him. If they wait too much longer then the Tories do have a chance.

[drummerjohn]

3. "Bring 'em on"

said the smirking chimp

[newyawker99]

18. Hi drummerjohn!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[lebkuchen]

5. Condoleeeza said the US must prepare for a generational commitment

of 30 years or more in the Middle East, as the Bushies "democratize" the entire area.

I guess that news isn't going over too well with the Iraqis.

[Sagan]

6. WTF?? Did she actually SAY THAT???

And got away with it??

Oh, well what am I thinking? The Bushistas could say they were suspending the entire Constitution indefinitely and the media whores would snooze.

[underpants]

9. That was the PNAC plan from the beginning

Establish a US ground force inthe middle east.

Remember when the sand storms hit and they had nothing to report? Thye went ahead and announced that US bases would be set up in Iraq and that forces would be pulled out of Saudi Arabia (One of OBL's demands also).

This will not be widely reported.

[Ilsa]

14. Here's a link:

http://usinfo.state.gov/topical/pol/conflict/03080704.htm

07 August 2003

Rice Calls for "Generational Commitment"
To Mideast Transformation
National security advisor compares situation to Europe after World War II

The U.S. has an "obligation" and, indeed, a "moral mission" to help bring freedom and security to the people of the Middle East, said National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice in an August 7 address to a meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists in Dallas.

Rice, in a speech likening the war on terror to black Americans' struggle for civil rights, said that every nation and every people is entitled to freedom.

"Knowing what we know about the difficulties of our own history, let us always be humble in singing freedom's praises," she said. "But let our voice not waver in speaking out on the side of people seeking freedom. And let us never indulge the condescending voices who allege that some people are not interested in freedom or aren't ready for freedom's responsibilities. That view was wrong in 1963 in Birmingham and it is wrong in 2003 in Baghdad."

Rice reflected on U.S. strategy and developments in the Middle East following the attacks of September 11, 2001. In Iraq, said Rice, the removal of Saddam Hussein and his regime served an essential role in the world's fight against terror.

"Now that Saddam's regime is gone, the people of Iraq are more free, and people everywhere need no longer fear his weapons, his aggression, and his cruelty," Rice said. "The war on terror will be greatly served by the removal of this source of instability in the world's most volatile region. And Saddam's removal provides a new opportunity for a different kind of Middle East."

"But if that different future for the Middle East is to be realized, we and our allies must make a generational commitment to helping the people of the Middle East transform their region."

"This has been the President's clear and consistent message," she said.

Snip

[teryang]

17. What a crock!

This kind of chauvinistic jingoism is being used to plunder and rob a nation. It's disgusting. What a filthy cynic.

[Old and In the Way]

7. Let's do the math...........

$1BB x 52 weeks x 30 years = $1.5 Trillion dollars to the US taxpayer.

Gee, I don't recall George mentioning any of this during his camapin in 2000, does anyone else?

[atreides1]

10. I'm Curious

Wasn't there a report not that long ago that said that the Pentagon
couldn't account for $1 Trillion dollars?

Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

[alfredo]

11. he did say we are

in a state of emergency, and have been since 9-11. I wonder if he will allow elections if it appears he is trailing by more than the margin of error?

[The White Rose]

16. We've been in a continuous official state of emergency since the thirties.

They're just being less coy about it these days...

[ewagner]

15. aaaaahhhhh, nnnoooooo....

That part must have escaped me.....

[Jacobin]

8. IraqNam is coming apart at the seams

Smiky is screwed. His minions aren't gonna be liking sending all those dollars over there.

[PurityOfEssence]

12. "...attacked by a crowd...", that's what I get out of this...

It's entirely different if there are some insurgents running around messin' with things or a wild crowd attacks the armed soldiers in their midst.

Isandhlwanda, anyone? Khartoum? Kabul? The Brits have plenty of experience with this kind of stuff. Maybe they'll get off light with a mere Roarke's Drift.

[Barrett808]

13. The "attacked by a crowd" line has been removed

Now it says:

In the past week four British soldiers have died in two separate attacks in the Basra area.