Blood Money?

A couple of fast bits of Iraq-related news.

First, Bush is asking for $400 million as part of an $80 billion supplemental budget request to make payments to countries who joined the coalition of the willing in an attempt to stop those counties pulling troops out of Iraq. Poland, for instance, is to get $100 million. I dunno, I suppose you could make a case for this being OK but it just feels sleazy to me. I am reminded of a line from "Jesus Christ: Superstar" - this isn't blood money it's a fee, nothiing more - from Caiaphas to Judas.

Second, I see that Rumsfailed is safe from war crimes prosecution in Germany after all.

A German prosecutor says he will not follow up a criminal complaint about US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's role in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. Federal prosecutor Kay Nehm said only the US - as the home country of the accused - could pursue any action.

Right after the announcement, Rummy's office said he would go to that conference in Germany he was planning to give a body-swerve to after all. Chickenhawk.

Lastly, British soldiers admit they have had less violence to face lately down in the South of Iraq, but British tactics and counter-insurgency training seem to be responsible for at least some of that lack of violence. For instance, it's fairly common for company and battalion level officers to have had immersion courses in Arabic, and even most privates get some language training. I still say the US troops would do well to copy the Brits rather than blindly follow the Israeli-style tactics they have used to date.