Do you think there might be more to this story than the headline?

The BBC loyally report that:

"Gordon Brown says he hopes control of some areas of Afghanistan can be handed over from 2010, raising the prospect of the eventual withdrawal of UK troops.

The prime minister wants to host a Nato meeting in January to "set a timetable" for transfer to full Afghan control. "

A conference in London with images of Gordon Brown bestriding the world stage alongside Barack Obama and setting a date to end Britain's involvement in an unpopular war in Afghanistan, I am sure that the timing is completely unconnected with an upcoming general election campaign.