Well, that's that then. Uncle Sam has told Nephew John when he can leave Iraq. "When we go out, we want to go out together," said Christopher Hill, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Now, ain't that sweet. How much pull this Hill feller has with President Puddin' 'n' Pie is moot, but even Georgie's maid has enough clout to tell Australia what to do.

Kim Beazley, who wants to exit the disaster zone as soon as Aussies forget who he is and puts him in The Lodge, will now have to suffer the Commentariat's slings and arrows as they accuse him of putting the relationship with America at stake.

Me, I think we should get the hell out of there at first light tomorrow. This is George W. Bush's mess. He's the one who dealt with the über-trauma of 9/11 by whipping out his six guns and shooting at everything in sight. He started the Iraq war with the overwhelming support of his deluded countrymen so let him finish it. John Howard alone is responsible for getting Australia involved; every poll from the very beginning indicated that the majority of Australians were against sending our troops there. He just did it to please the Bully-in-Chief so let him wear the blame for never once considering the hundreds of thousands of lives lost and for making Australia a terrorist target.

It is now clear that the continued presence of hated foreign troops is only whipping up the insurgency. Iraq as a nation is finished. Let those who are still alive after three and a half years of unnecessary bloodshed carve it up along sectarian lines and get on with life after one of the most sickening invasions in history.

Once again, it was America who started it; let them deal with the consequences of their fatal stupidity.

And let's have no more self-righteous bleating about cutting and running.

-- Olney Garkle