corrente

Arf!

Tony Blair has secretly agreed to allow President Bush to site US missiles on British soil as part of the new US "son of Star Wars" programme, The Independent on Sunday can reveal.

Downing Street has given an agreement in principle to the Pentagon to station interceptor missiles at RAF Fylingdales, North Yorkshire.

The confidential deal goes far beyond the official position that Britain is providing enhanced radar provision for the US national missile defence programme.

News of the deepening collaboration over the missile defence programme comes as the Prime Minister considers an American request to send British troops to the US-controlled sector of Iraq.(via Reuters)

Sounds like a deal to me, and Blair got suckered. I mean, trading actual soldiers' lives for a missile defense system that only works when Pentagon flaks technicians tell it where the missiles are coming from? WTF?

Then there's this casual aside:

There was growing anger last night that UK soldiers stationed in Iraq might be put in even greater danger than they are already just to assist a pre-election offensive ordered by the Bush administration.

"Pre-election offensive" is a fine example of that dry, dry British understatement, don't you think? (Please refer all complaints to The Department of "No! They Would Never Do That!"