Australia leader defends Iraq deployment

[leftchick]

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BA389D24-10E7-4EAF-9E65-98ABA613C836.htm

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has said Iraq will not become a bottomless pit for his country's troops.


Howard on Thursday refused to rule out further increases to the Australian military presence in Iraq following this week's shock decision to more than double the number of troops on the ground, but said they were unlikely.

"It won't become a bottomless pit," Howard told commercial radio. "I am just exercising proper caution.

"I don't think it is at all likely that we will send any more people, but I am not going to get into this business of giving absolute guarantees and having everything I say on that analysed in the future," he said


.... has he been taking rummyspeak lessons?