See this? Even the pommies could see the quagmire a mile off...

See this? Even the pommies could see the quagmire a mile off (not Blair maybe)

British memo raised US post-Iraq war concerns: report
A memo produced for British Prime Minister Tony Blair eight months before the 2003 invasion of Iraq expressed concern any occupation of that country would be "protracted and costly," The Washington Post has reported.

The briefing paper indicated top British officials viewed the US administration as inevitably invading Iraq but said "little thought" had been given to "the aftermath and how to shape it," the newspaper reported, quoting from the eight-page memo.

Mr Blair's staff produced the July 21, 2002, memo in preparation for his meeting with his national security staff two days later at Downing Street.

"A post-war occupation of Iraq could lead to a protracted and costly nation-building exercise," the memo said.

"As already made clear, the US military plans are virtually silent on this point. Washington could look to us to share a disproportionate share of the burden."

The White House said there was "significant" post-war planning for Iraq and disputed the memo's characterisation.

"More importantly, the memo in question was written eight months before the war began - there was significant post-war planning in the time that elapsed," David Almacy, a White House spokesman, said.

"Some things we prepared for did not happen, like large numbers of refugees needing humanitarian assistance.

"And others we did not expect, such as large numbers of regime elements fleeing the battlefield only to return later."

The report of the July 21 memo comes after the minutes of the subsequent Downing Street meeting were published by London's Sunday Times on May 1 and became known as the Downing Street memo.

The minutes said Britain's spy chief had concluded after a trip to Washington that "intelligence and facts were being fixed" to make the case for war in Iraq, an assertion that US officials and Mr Blair have denied.

The death toll continues to mount from a violent insurgency that has killed hundreds of US troops and Iraqi civilians.

The US, which led the invasion in March 2003, has said it will not pull out until Iraqi forces are trained to take over security for their country.

-Reuters