"Not sure if the phrase is used outside the UK - but if you have a plumber or an electrician who does a shoddy job and rips you off - he's called a 'cowboy'

Thats how I think of the US forces in Iraq - a Cowboy Army.

I would genuinely be unsuprised if when they rolled into B'dad - they were screaming 'YEE HAAAAAAAA' "

I prefer the Cowboy Death Machine. Coming to your nearest dictorship theatre, near you.
It doesn't matter what you call American, you called them Yankee Doodle and they made a song about it.

"Through its experience on the streets of Northern Ireland, and the Former Yugoslavia - the British forces have learnt how to deal with the locals - which is why they were deployed to Basra - a place where it was known there would be more trouble than many other areas. I remain proud of our armed forces, but I'm ashamed of what they've been asked to do."

So, you think what the Brits did in Ireland was a good thing?

And according to Blair, Basra was considered by all to be the easier task. Everyone knew the America would do the heavy lifting. We are used to it, but we do appreciate the Brits, Aussies, Poles, and other doing what they are miltarily capable of doing- and just from the logistic perspective it made sense. Canadians should have also had troops on the ground in Iraq, but their leadership failed them.