First phases are not for Prime Ministers

I really would like to know when Prime Minsters stopped being leaders and instead became Sound Bite sellers.

Tonight I’ve heard Gordon Brown spouting sound bites about the success of the first phase of Operation Panther’s Claw in Afghanistan.

Whilst I’m truly delighted that the operation is going well, let’s remember that this is the end of the first phase. There are more phases to come and more lives will be lost. Updates on progress should, in my humble opinion, come from Defence spokesmen or maybe a Minister. Not from the PM

The Prime Minster’s role is to define the end game, to warn us of challenges to come, to inspire the nation of the true value of the POLITICAL mission being undertaken by the military. And he also has the obligation to ensure that our military are equipped and resourced appropriately to reinforce and retain these current successes.

Currently he appears to be failing on all those tasks, possibly because he is more focused on grabbing a moment on TV to be associated with short term military successes.