COALITION OF THE WILLING, A LOT LESS WILLING. MORE ALLIES RECALLING THEIR "TROOPS" FROM BUSH'S IRAQI OCCUPATION

The Iraqi War and subsequent occupation and struggle against nationalist insurgents was always an American operation-- with a little help from Britain and a couple of other right-wing pals of Bush's (Australia, Italy for a while, Spain before they threw the right-wing clown out, a couple of fascist-oriented Eastern European states...). But the actual numbers speak loudest. The U.S. has 160,000 troops in Iraq. Bush's so-called "coalition of the willing" has 24,000 troops, a third of them Brits (8,000).

Bulgaria and Ukraine have about 1,250 troops between them and they're leaving in 2 weeks. The only other countries than actually provide fighters are Britain and Australia and the war has grown increasingly unpopular in both countries, as it has in Italy and Poland (both of which train Iraqis). Japanese and South Korean forces don't fight; they help with reconstruction and the Koreans have already announced when Bush was visiting them 2 weeks ago that they're starting to withdraw their troops significantly.

As more and more troops were killed anger rose among the publics in virtually every country (except perhaps among the Mongols) and pressure-- to use the Far Right's favorite expression-- to cut and run has grown dramatically. The Dutch, for example have drawn down their troop strength significantly-- from 1,400 to... 1 (well 1 soldier; they have 18 other guys there doing something).

After the Ukraine's first-ever democratic election-- real ones, not Bush-style Florida, Ohio or Iraq elections-- the popular new president, Viktor Yushchenko, announced he would withdraw all his country's troops by Dec. 31, fulfilling a wildly popular campaign promise .

In Bush's imbecilic speech Wednesday, among all his other rehashed lies and deceptions, he announced he would be expanding international support. God knows how much more he'll be paying the Mongols, the Poles and other desperately poor countries.

Polls in countries that have them are universally negative about Bush and his war and their own governments' participation. In Japan 69% want all their countrymen withdrawn. Britain's government is facing the same reaction from its public that Bush's is and Defense Secretary John Reid hinted in November that a pullout would begin in 2006. Italy is about to announce-- well hush my mouth-- a timetable for withdrawing its 2,800 (non-combant) troops.

On the other hand, Bosnia recently sent 36 bomb-disposal troops. And the new Polish right-wing government will continue to let Bush use what amounts to mercenaries as long as the dollars keep rolling in.