When it comes to vitriol and spite, none do it better than the war apologists, and there was much for them to be bitter about this week.… Blair, ever his gracious self, tried desperately to change the subject by blaming Iran for the deaths of 4 British soldiers that same day.
Four British soldiers were killed in an ambush Thursday in southern Iraq and Prime Minister Tony Blair, still smarting from Iran’s capture of 15 British sailors, pointed a finger at Tehran for aiding Iraqi Shiite militia fighters. The British leader declared it may be time to “reflect on our relationship with Iran.”
The public relations pasting suffered by Tony Blair at the hands of Tehran was too much for some of them to bear, so out came the attack dogs right on cue.… MSNBC’s “military expert”, Colonel Jack Jacobs, was full of praise for the brave men and woman who were captured:
JACOBS:… I think it was really despicable to say that the real reason that they didn’t act honorably is because a) they were scared, and b) they wanted to go home, both of which they said.… All it did was solidify in my mind… — and by the way in the minds of many people I know who have… worn the uniform of this country — that these people acted dishonorably.… Very dishonorably.
NORON:… And your bottom line, Colonel, your concern is that what they did essentially played into… Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s PR stunt.
JACOBS:… Now there’s an international incident that could have been avoided by acting professionally and appropriately.… I’m very concerned about the Ministry of Defense parading these guys out in front of everybody, giving tacit approval of what they did.… It was very dishonorable from start to finish and I and a lot of people who wear the uniform are very concerned about it.
According to Jacobs, the… international incident was not the taking of the 15 British sailors, but the fact they didn’t maintain a sufficiently stiff upper lip, think of England and do the glorious thing by somehow escalating the crisis sufficiently to warrant an all out attack.… Allowing themselves to be treated so amicably by their hosts borders on treachery.