President Chirac said recently almost with the tone of 'I told you so' that what he considers blind loyalty to the U.S. doesn't get you much in return,
There's a general sense I think at least in the British Foreign Office and the British military that the U.S. tactics have been too heavy-handed and may be responsible for some of what we're seeing.
Prime Minister Blair has long felt -- he certainly felt after September 11 -- that there was no moral or strategic advantage to be gained by artificial distance from the U.S.
On many levels, the British presence is more sustainable. It is safer in the Shiite south, and casualties are low.
