AND IN THE GROWN-UP WORLD - AT 10:25 A.M. ET:  Apparently, other British officials aren't allowing the relationship described just below to taint their view of President Obama's Afghanistan policy.  Not exactly raves, as The Times of London reports:

Tensions between Britain and America over the war in Afghanistan erupted into the open yesterday as the Defence Secretary questioned President Obama’s decision to put a date on the start of US troop withdrawals.

In an interview with The Times, Bob Ainsworth said that the Government would not follow Washington’s promise to start pulling out in 2011. “You can’t put a time on it. You’ve got to look at conditions,” he said.

He accepted that the public would not tolerate the war “going on forever," but insisted there was no deadline for withdrawal. “Nobody is talking about a drawdown, we are talking about bringing more in there . . . but we are talking about transition.” He said that it would be wrong to set a date for the start of troop reductions.

His comments reflect dismay at the highest level in the British Armed Forces about Mr Obama’s suggestion this week that US troop withdrawals would start by mid-2011. Britain expects to have substantial forces on the ground in Afghanistan for at least five or six more years.

COMMENT:  Maybe the Brits should send back to Mr. Obama the bust of Churchill that our president
haughtily returned to Britain early in his term.  That might suggest to the White House the meaning of the term "leadership."

December 5, 2009