Bush Tasks Marines To Invade Scotland

From The Scotsman today: comes the news that President Bush has tasked a Marine assault carrier to be anchored off the West coast of Scotland during the upcoming G8 summit at Gleneagles. In adition, a fleet of C-5 transport aircraft will ferry in the armoured limos and helicopters that will take Bush and his entourage to the venue. Understandably, the British military are pissed at this massive show of distrust for the abilities of Bush's closest military ally. One British Army source told the newspaper:

The Americans want to do everything themselves. They want to have their own helicopters; their own armoured limousines. This happens at every summit like this, and it always causes tension between America and their hosts.
"The aircraft carrier is about giving America the capability to do lots of things with people, helicopters and the like. They also want their own command post if Bush decides they have to carry out their own operation.

I have a couple of things I would like to say.

Historically, Scottish soldiers have made up a third of Britain's army and about two thirds of it's casualties in time of war. There should be no question that they are not up to the job of protecting the G8 leaders. This kind of heavy handed US presence in a nation that has always supported them militarily, is a leader in the Coalition and is a major NATO contributor is a plain insult to those brave Scots soldiers. If you wonder why Americans are seen as overbearing and arrogant even by countries which are allied to the US, wonder no further.


Even if you don't give a hoot about the insult to the British security forces in general, and to the Scots troops who do much of the fighting in particular - it's a plain waste of money and military resources. Is Bush really saying that British armoured limos and military helicopters are somehow substandard or not good enough ? Get real - of course they are. That fleet of C-5 transports should be tasked with getting resupply into Iraq or Afghanistan instead - with getting tourniquets and body armour and armoured Hummers to the US troops on the front lines. American logistics officers have consistently bemoaned the lack of air transport so why is Bush taking more of it away from them? Plus, just imagine how helpful that assault carrier could be, along with it's 2,000 Marines, 6 Harrier jets and 29 helicopters. The article doesn't say for sure but I assume it is a Wasp class carrier or thereabouts, the largest amphibeous assault ships in the world.

Does he think he is Caesar, to require a Praetorian Guard everywhere he goes?

Then there's the fact that there are two major American bases, one Air Force and one Navy, in Scotland already - plus the NATO communications HQ for the whole Northwest Atlantic is only 40 miles from Gleneagles (what better command post could there be?), plus there are three major British Army depots and a n RAF base within 40 miles too.

Is Bush that scared of a bunch of wild socialists and hairy hippy anarchist protestors?

It seems he is. This whole overkill, implied insults and all, seems to be down to the Commander in Chief of the biggest military on earth being a chickenhawk.

Need I phrase that any more clearly?

Oh, and I would like to add a message for Tony Blair. As the British military source says above, "they also want their own command post if Bush decides they have to carry out their own operation." If Bush orders US Marines to act independently of British authority on Scottish soil, it would be either an act of war or an abrogation of national sovereignty so massive that you wouldn't have time to clear your desk before the people dragged you out of office. You may want to make that clear to the chicken hawk.