Leading article: A change of tack on both sides of the Atlantic

Published: 18 October 2006

Suddenly, all those tough words about staying the course in Iraq are mutating into an incipient debate about an exit strategy. This is highly inconvenient for George Bush and Tony Blair, both of whom were on parade yesterday in their separate capitals, with twin pledges about it being imperative to get the job done and now not being the time to "walk away". The times, though, seem to be moving implacably against them.

Little exemplifies the change of mood more than the reports emanating from a high-powered task force set up by the US Congress to review the effectiveness of US policy in Iraq. While the cross-party panel will not submit its report before early next year, two potentially incendiary recommendations have reached the public domain. The first is that "staying the course" should be summarily abandoned in favour of large troops withdrawals. The second is that Iraq's neighbours, Syria and Iran, should be invited to send forces to Iraq in the hope that they would be able to halt the fighting.

Article Length: 570 words (approx.)