White House Warns Bush: Watch For U-Turn With Brown's New Britain ...

Yep, we know.

We can almost hear you saying it -- and you're bang on the button.

It is unusual for This Old Brit to be banging out a double dollop of blog posts on the same day - especially seeing it's a Sunday.

However, it's also unusual to find two such surprising MSM reports surfacing so close together, time wise.

How's this for a dandy of a Daily Telegraph header to hook you with?

Bush gets ready for Iraq U-turn by Brown

We bet that's aroused some interest, eh?

Now read right on.

Gordon Brown is prepared to risk the future of the "special relationship" with the United States by reversing Tony Blair's support for the Iraq war, President George W Bush has been warned.

He has been briefed by White House officials to expect an announcement on British troop withdrawals from Mr Brown during his first 100 days in power.

(snip)

Details of the talks came as a close ally of Mr Brown called for a quicker withdrawal of British troops.

Nigel Griffiths, a former minister, said: "We should get out of Iraq as soon as is practicable. We should consult the Iraqi government - but they cannot have a veto. This cannot be delayed."

Mr Griffiths, who resigned as deputy leader of the Commons this year over the decision to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system, spoke out as reports suggested that Mr Brown would use an early trip to Iraq to reassess Britain's role and accelerate the withdrawal.

Revelation of the US fears will reinforce expectations in Westminster that Mr Brown will make a decisive break with Mr Blair's support for the war.

(snip)

One senior official said: "There is a sense of foreboding. We don't know if he will be there when we need him. We expect a gesture that will greatly weaken the United States government's position."

Mark Kirk, a Republican congressman who discussed Iraq policy at the White House last week, said: "The American view is that he's a much weaker political leader than Blair. There's the fear in Washington that he won't be as strong an ally."

President Bush's aides fear that Mr Brown will boost Democrats' demands for a timetable for a US pullout from Iraq and encourage wavering Republicans to defect - leaving the President more isolated.

Senator John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 who sits on the Senate foreign affairs committee, said Mr Brown would support Democrats' calls for the Iraqi government to meet "benchmarks" for progress or for war funding to be cut off.

Tempted by the teaser-bait?

You should be.

Take this link to the Telegraph to see some more of this stuff.

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