Spinning the inevitable

President Bush has announced that he will be withdrawing some troops from Iraq. But while this is being spun as a voluntary reduction, subject to conditions, it is simply putting a brave face on the inevitable. The fact is that the US is out of troops, and has to withdraw 30,000 soldiers by April if it is to avoid breaking its army - a figure which coincidentally matches Bush's planned "drawdown". So, contrary to the Herald, this isn't the "beginning of the end", or any change in approach; it's just the natural consequence of imperial overstretch.