Tony Blair is such a slut

Report: Blair Agrees to Put U.S. Missiles in Britain
Sun Oct 17, 2004 08:55 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tony Blair has secretly agreed to allow Washington to station U.S. missiles on British soil as part of President Bush's missile defense program, the Independent Sunday newspaper reported.

The paper said Blair's Downing Street office had given an "agreement in principle" to the Defense Department that the weapons -- so-called interceptor missiles -- could be sited at a Royal Air Force base in Fylingdales in northern Britain.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense denied the reports, saying no approach had been made by the U.S. government over the deployment of interceptors in Britain, and there was no deal.

"No agreement has been reached," he said.

Although the British government has said it will allow Washington to use early warning radar at the Fylingdales base for the missile defense program, it has said nothing publicly about whether missiles would be sited there.

The Independent Sunday report angered some left-wing members of Blair's Labor party, many of whom want their government to play no part in the U.S. defense system.

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Posted by Prometheus 6 on October 17, 2004 - 9:23am :: War
 
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So, what operational benefit comes from telling the bad guys where your missiles are located? Perhaps the Brits' purpose (in declining to admit the missiles' presence) is to protect operational security.

My service with the Brits and Aussies in Iraq has significantly increased my respect for those fine men and women.

As is the case in marriage, it's best to not look for flaws in your friends.

Posted by  JL Shaw (not verified) on October 17, 2004 - 3:15pm.

As is the case in marriage, it's best to not look for flaws in your friends.

Nice line.

On a practical level you don't want to just tell folks where you keep the goods. Israel still hasn't admitted what everyone knows--it's a nuclear power. But anyone that's a real threat to the missile emplacements will know they're in the country. Let's face it, guy…a newspaper found out.

Posted by  Prometheus 6 on October 17, 2004 - 4:14pm.

I read that the U.S. has asked for some British troops to "backfill" some of their patrol areas so that more U.S. troops can be sent to attack Fallujah. Guess the missiles aren't the only thing Blair just rolled over for.

Posted by  Al-Muhajabah on October 17, 2004 - 9:25pm.

I just heard Great Britain hasn't decided how to respond to that request.

You realize if they turn it down (and they may, due to domestic politics) Bush is totally toast.

Posted by  Prometheus 6 on October 18, 2004 - 8:30am.

Yeah, I've been following this story. I really, really hope that the Brits turn it down. From what I've read, public opinion is against it, all the opposition political parties are against it, and even Blair's own generals are against it. But I don't know if any of that is actually important to Blair.

Posted by  Al-Muhajabah on October 18, 2004 - 9:30pm.