"But Dissent Is Patriotic!" -

The commander of the British Army's 1st Battalion/42nd Highland Regiment (The Black Watch) has attacked Parliament's anti-war back-benchers and the protesters they supported:

"While careful to make clear that the Government's decision to wait until the last minute was understandable, Lt Col Cowan said it was partly forced on it by anti-war feeling among its own backbenchers.
'As a result, many items of equipment were not available in the right numbers, in the right place, in the right working order at the time they should have been and I think that is widely acknowledged,' he said.
'I think there is a clear realisation that if a decision had been taken earlier then the right kit could have been in place, but there is a clear understanding as to why those decisions were not made.'
Lt Col Cowan's comments, in an interview with The Scotsman newspaper, came the day after the MoD's leading civil servant told MPs that body armour did not arrive because Mr Hoon did not authorise preparations until late November 2002."

Note to the left: "Opposing the war but supporting the troops" should not involve endangering them. Try to work on that.

(Via the Captain)

Posted by Mitch at January 23, 2004 08:45 AM