Huh, that’s odd. I thought you weren’t supposed to criticize the troops. But I guess it’s okay if you’re the White House and the troops you are criticizing are (1) not from this country, and (2) pulling out of the war. From the UK’s Daily Telegraph:
The [senior White House foreign policy official] added that Britain would always be “the cornerstone” of U.S. policy towards Europe but there was “a lot of unhappiness” about how British forces had performed in Basra…
“Operationally, British forces have performed poorly in Basra,” said the official. “Maybe it’s best that they leave. Now we will have a clear field in southern Iraq.”
Thanks for the help, chaps!