Unfucking Believable - Australia PM puts his two cents in our elections.

Australian PM John Howard slams Barack Obama over opposition to Iraq war.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/11/australia.obama.ap/index.html



Why the hell should we care what the PM of Australia thinks. Most of our congress feels the same way. Why is he signaling out Obama? Don't most Democratic candidates want withdrawal? Why should an outsider be influencing our elections. Who is paying him to open his big mouth? Why is he so cozy with Bush? He is keeping 1,400 troops in non combat zones. We have about 140,000 getting their asses shot at and blown up everyday.

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SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Australia's conservative prime minister slammed Barack Obama on Sunday over his opposition to the Iraq war, a day after Obama announced his intention to run for the White House in 2008.

Obama said the country's first priority should be to end the war in Iraq.

He has also introduced a bill to prevent President Bush from increasing American troop levels in Iraq, and to remove U.S. combat forces from the country by March 31, 2008. (Watch as Obama outlines his plans for Iraq )

Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who will face his own re-election bid later this year, said Obama's proposed deadline would spell disaster for the Middle East.

"I think that will just encourage those who want to completely destabilize and destroy Iraq, and create chaos and a victory for the terrorists to hang on and hope for an Obama victory," Howard said on Nine Network television.

"If I were running al Qaeda in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008 and be praying as many times as possible for a victory, not only for Obama but also for the Democrats." (Watch Obama call for a new generation of leadership )

Howard, a staunch supporter and personal friend of Bush, has defied widespread domestic opposition to the war, keeping about 1,400 Australian troops in and around Iraq, mostly in non-combat roles.


He is seeking a fifth term later this year, and recent polls suggest voters are increasingly unhappy about his refusal to set a deadline for withdrawing Australian troops.

"You either rat on the ally or you stay with the ally," he said. "If it's all right for us to go, it's all right for the Americans and the British to go, and if everybody goes, Iraq will descend into total civil war and there'll be a lot of bloodshed."

Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs, traveling with the senator in Iowa, said Howard's words were misguided.

"The United States has sacrificed more than 3,000 brave young men and women and $400 billion, only to find ourselves mired in the middle of a sectarian civil war," he said. "Even Republicans ... know that more of the same is only going to attract more terrorists to Iraq and make our country less safe."

Gibbs went on to say that Howard was not in a position to be overly critical.

"If Prime Minister Howard truly believes what he says, perhaps his country should find its way to contribute more than just 1,400 troops so some American troops can come home," he said. "It's easy to talk tough when it's not your country or your troops making the sacrifices."

OUR track record for screwing with foreign elections.

our track record for screwing with our OWN elections.
Pretty crazy when we scream for fair elections in other countries & can't get one here.

that too.

I honor his opinion about as much as Tony Blair's.

in the first place would be influenced by Howard.

Buh bye, Howard...

The country that gave us Mel Gibson, Russel Crowe, and what is quite likely the worst tasting beer in the world!

His own reputation rests on the non-existant chance that the Republicans can make his decision to join Bush not look as stupid as it was.

Jeb Bush carried suitcases full of money to Nicaragua for the rightwing opposition to Danny Ortega, and Condi Rice has accused Venezuela's Chavez of giving support to Al-Qaeda. If we don't like foreign heads of state to interfere in our elections, we shouldn't do it either!

Howard dragged the Aussies into the Iraq mess, and he has done his own share of imperialism in his own backyard. Why should we expect one of Bush's fascist friends to act any differently?

from the Obama campaign.

are Australian troops still in Iraq?

And Howard, huge war supporter, dares not send more if he wishes to remain in office.

... how many troops he has pulled over the past 4 years. anymore than ZERO makes him a hypocrite

Is not Howard's problem. Period.

No surprise. Another puppet.

He followed the line already laid out by his spokesman Robert Gibbs, according to this report by the Beeb:



A bunch of empty rhetoric, that's an apt description for the entire species of wingnuts.

Nice response there. :)

he has as much credibility as bush

I hope he does it again and again. It diminishes him and elevates Obama.

Wrong question.

Ask youself, WHY did John Howard say it?
Why is Howard so so worried about the neo-Republican politicians lossing office?

Pay attention and you'll see George Bush and John Howard are best buds and sharing each others advice how to win elections ; but they also share foreign and domestic policy.

Both pro-Jakarta, pro-TNI military, both remain silent about Indonesia hosting al Qaeda training camps for a year after 9/11, both couldn't get into Iraq fast enough even though Australian analyst said the 'evidence' being presented by the US for invading Iraq was fake, both have announced their intention for fast tracking nuclear energy production.

I understand why George Bush does everything Bechtel wants, but I don't know why John Howard is doing it. But then again, Bechtel specializes in keeping itself out of the limelight.