An Open Apology to Tonga, Member of the Coalition of the Willing

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To the Tongolese: I’m sorry.

I’m sorry for writing on Friday that you’re not a member of the Iraq coalition. Sure, the Congressional Research Service said you had pulled out. But according to this Pentagon quasi-press release today, you deployed 55 members of your Tonga Defense Services last month to guard MNF-I headquarters in the Baghdad International Airport complex. It’s not exactly a combat mission, but still, this is a huge contribution: Tonga, a South Pacific island nation with a population of under 120,000, has only 450 men under arms.

Says Pacific Command chief Admiral Tim Keating:

Keating, who observed the Tongan troops during a Khaanquest training exercise earlier this summer in Mongolia, said he has no doubt of their capabilities. “They’re very tough,” he said. “They’re not just very good; they’re first class.”

My apologies, Tonga — and, yes, to President Bush as well.

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