The headline of the article gives its point of examination: "Are British troops at breaking point in Iraq?" Half-way through its investigation of this question is this curious statement:
Recent comments by the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, that British forces might have to stay in an increasingly volatile conflict for up to 10 more years have exacerbated fears among British forces that the conflict in which they are engaged is open-ended and lacking a credible exit strategy.10 more years?! I haven't heard Rumsfeld (or anyone else, for that matter) make those kind of statements. But then again, expressing such honesty would make it hard to justify Bush's sunny-optimism and his constant claim that the situation is improving. Given how often an administration official has made this claim, Iraq ought to be Utopia by now, perhaps even returned to the mythic Garden of Eden. Bush & company choose, instead, to speak in vagueries, suggesting on the one hand that troops may begin to come home soon and on the other that the war on terror will be long and require much sacrifice (though who that sacrifice should come from, besides our troops and their families, is also equally vague; it certainly doesn't apply to big oil or any of the BushCo favorites like Halliburton). If someone in the administration actually stood up and said, "We'll have troops in Iraq for the next 10 years," there would likely be an immediate revolt from all over America against any ongoing occupation. Pity the truth is so frightening to the Administration, given that it has the ability to set us all free from the sins of empire, war mongering, and greed.
*emphasis mine
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