The man on the left lied to the British people and got the Attorney General to doctor his legal advice over the war so the British Chiefs of Staff agreed to accept illegal orders. On Tuesday, the man on the right became the 100th British soldier to die in Iraq.
In the hullaballoo of the vote on Alito and the SOTU propaganda speech, you may have missed an important milestone for the British in Iraq.
On Tuesday Corporal Gordon Alexander Pritchard, 31, a soldier from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards died in a blast in Umm Qasr, Basra province. He was the 100th British soldier to die in Iraq, 77 during combat, most of the rest as the result of accidents or being shot out of the sky by Patriot missiles targeted by US forces. Last week it was announced that 3,500 British would replace US forces in southern Afghanistan.
The BBC report on Cpt Pritchard:
The soldier, whose father also served in the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, had known the Army all his life.
He joined, aged 17, in 1992 and served in Kosovo before training in Canada.
In a statement, his parents said: “He was a well-trained, well-motivated soldier serving in a regiment that he was extremely proud of, as did his father and elder brother.
“He was a loving son and a very proud family man and he will be deeply missed by us all.”
The soldier was described by his commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ben Edwards, as having the “intelligence, professionalism, compassion and humour” to make it to the highest levels.
In a glowing tribute, Lt Col Edwards said: “He was a soldier with very great potential and had been identified in the last year as one for whom the regiment had high hopes.
“Always quick with a smile, with an especially dry sense of humour, he led his men by example.”
Pritchard was killed in Umm Qasr, the port town which was the first major target to be taken during the invasion. He was in a convoy of three Land Rovers hit by an explosion and died instantly. These soft vehicles were used because the town had been peaceful.
It should be noted that the port is controlled by an American contractor but there is no information whether they import workers to run the port or employ the previous staff. If it is a “cost plus” contract it would make sense to use foreign staff at far higher wages to maximise the profit margin.
The picture was taken when Blair visited a fortified area within a base near Basra for a photo opportunity just before Christmas.