1) Hand-over Maysan in January.
2) Hand-over Basrah in the Spring.
3) Major draw-down of troop committment to Iraq, leaving a reinforced light BG as 'training' and 'support' to Iraqi Army in Shaibah or Basrah Airport.
4) Step down as PM claiming a 'success' in Iraq.
5) If it all goes pear-shaped, new PM looks bad, and will probably blame the CGS anyway.
Am I just too much of a cynic to believe that the timetable has more to do with a Blair legacy than the good of the Iraqi people...
