Prince Harry the Bullet Magnet

Prince Harry really knows what he wants. He has decided to make the military his career and he wants to do a good job of it. According to the news, he's going to be sent to Iraq later this year as part of a rotation of troops. He is determined to do his duty, and his family supports him.

Well, I do respect that decision in a way. He isn't going to abandon his men and he wants to do his duty for his country. The Times and the BBC have called him a 'magnet' though. Every insurgent in Iraq will now have a nice big juicy target to aim for. It'll be very bad if they kill him. Worse if they kidnap him for ransom. If any harm comes to the prince, a lot of people will go down in history for all the wrong reasons.

It's kind of interesting that this news comes immediately after the announcement of troop reductions by the Prime Minister in the Commons. Every week, the Prime Minister also reads out the names of the troops who have fallen in Iraq. I certainly hope that nothing happens to the prince or any other soldier serving in Iraq. The troops should not have to pay the ultimate price of political misadventures.

Maybe one good thing will actually come out of all this. The royal family will now have a personal interest in the mess that is Iraq. Hopefully, this will translate into them speaking out about it and swaying public opinion to pressure the government into cleaning up the mess.