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What will John Howard say now?

John Howard, Brendan Nelson and others in the Federal Government have quite positively eschewed "cutting and running" - as they have termed it - from Iraq. They have poured scorn on those who have suggested either quitting Iraq altogether or reducing the military forces there.

So, how will they view this situation as reported by the BBC today?:

"High-level White House advisers are said to be ready to call for a major change in Washington's policy on Iraq.

Members of the panel, which is led by former US Secretary of State James Baker, told the LA Times the shift could include large troop withdrawals.

A senior US official reaffirmed Washington's support for Iraq's leaders but said they must increasingly assume responsibility for security.

The Iraq situation is a key issue in November's US mid-term elections.

"There's got to be another way," is how one member of the Iraq panel summed up their views on the situation in Iraq and the failure of current US policy, according to the LA Times."

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