Would that be the letter which "Al Qaeda" say they didn’t write? So, um, who did? And why?

As to the "strategy being on track", how he can even say that without laughing out loud beats me. And seeing as it took some blatant cheating by the Shia and Kurds to get within spitting distance (figuratively & literally…) of the referendum in any case, I wouldn’t hold too much store by the outcome of said referendum. Especially in Iraq, when we can’t even have free and fair elections in this country.

To compare Iraq to post-war Germany is both wishful thinking and disingenious on the Straw man’s part. And I have no doubts that democracy will take 10 years to take hold. He only forgot to say "…because that’s the plan".

We should be told exactly what the UK ’strategy’ is. Iraq was not a ‘failed state’ before the invasion. One may have disliked the regime, but it had not failed.

No doubt Straw, with his minimal understanding, does equate post-war Germany with Iraq, but no one with an ounce of real intelligence would do so. His remarks are just posturing.

Why does he believe that the democratic process as manifested within Europe will be adopted wholesale by a Middle Eastern people? Even the most ‘civilised’ Middle Eastern countries have regimes which are more ‘opressive’ than those in Europe.

This is not to condemn the Iraqis, but let us recognise and clearly understand the huge cultural and social differences here.