If you’ve been under the same rock as me (doubtful – mine is pretty remote), then you also missed it when our esteemed and sure-footed military leaders ordered American troops in England to hide like George Bush from an unscreened crowd after the London subway bombings.

They didn’t miss it in England. Columnist Brian Reade, in London’s Daily Mirror had some really choice words for us.

One thing you learn when disaster strikes is how right you were about the dodgy specimens in your midst…

How typical was it that all of its 12,000 servicemen stationed in Britain should be banned from travelling within the M25 for five days, as Londoners tried to show the terrorists and the wider world that life goes on as normal?

Once again we saw, as we have in the numerous deaths through “friendly fire”, when the heat is on, the US military operates like a selfish shower of headless chickens.

It was the same back home, where the Gibbon-in-Chief used the bombings to convince a sceptical electorate that soldiers may be dying in Iraq, but hey, they’re doing so to stop your local subway being blown up.

The American Press, largely a gutless shower of sycophants, have demonised the UK for its tolerance of Muslims.

Commentators labelled “Londonistan” the single biggest threat to American security, and demanded all Britons get a visa before entering their airspace.

Thanks buddies. It’s good to know you’re right behind the people who foolishly stuck their heads above the parapet with you in Iraq.

Reade’s ire, and that of many Brits, was aroused by the order – also reported in the Mirror – from the military to its members to think of their own safety first.

American military chiefs issued the “battle staff directive” on Friday, a day after bombs on three underground trains and a double-decker bus killed at least 52 people…

A U.S. spokeswoman was quoted as saying that military staff were not allowed to go anywhere inside the M25 orbital motorway belt surrounding the capital until further notice, “because the security of our people is our top concern.”

…The Daily Mail newspaper slammed the U.S. military ban as “timid” coming after U.S. President George W. Bush’s pledge last week that Britons could count on America to stand with them.

“It was business as usual in brave and resilient London yesterday — though not if you were a member of the world’s most powerful military machine,” the Daily Mail said in an editorial.

When you see how much contempt the rest of the world, and even our closest ally, has for America, you really get angry at what George W. Bush has taken from us.

Reade also asked the $64,000 question.

But rather than asking if it’s still safe to move within the M25, why aren’t Americans asking how the figurehead who inspires these atrocities is still at large?

Why, 46 months after Osama bin Laden attacked New York, has America not captured its Public Enemy Number One, even though he is known to be sitting in caves in countries they’re friendly with.

You’re the most technologically-advanced nation in history, capable as you showed last week of singling out a comet, 83 million miles away, hurtling at 23,000mph through space, and landing a bomb on it.

So why is bin Laden free to organise or inspire attacks on the free world?

Might it have something to do with the fact that were he captured, your mythical War on Terror would begin to be over, as would the trillion-dollar budgets handed to the men who really run your country and our world.

Damn good question.