The true coward

According to today's Sunday Times, the Labour Government is in conflict with the Army about Afghanistan.

Labour's actions in sending our armed forces, especially (but not only) the Army, into battle underequipped and undermanned is appalling and shameful. When they were deployed to Helmand province in 2006, John Reid expected no shots would be fired in anger. Today, with more troops having lost their lives in Afghanistan than Iraq, we have an anonymous Labour minister quoted as saying "General Dannatt ... is playing a dangerous game."

This was in reaction to a report that General Dannatt had said at a dinner with Tory MPs that 2,000 more troops were needed in Afghanistan.

One can't help contrast General Dannatt's forthright speech with the cowardice of an anonymous briefing. The people playing the dangerous game are those politicians who callously risk our soldiers' lives.

It is utterly shameful.