Why did the Howard government choose Sydney for Cheney's visit.

Doesn't it sound ludicrous to you that instead of holding so-called talks with Cheney in Canberra, they chose to cause massive disruptions in Sydney. I was in Sydney on Friday and witnessed helicopters hovering overhead, about 1 out of 10 cars were police cars and many streets were closed down.

The Harbour Bridge was closed to traffic yesterday so that Cheney and Howard could have drinks on the lawn of Kirribilli House.

When you think about it. What was the point of Cheney's visit anyway. Surely a simple phone call would have covered everything that they would have had to say.

Could anyone tell me how I would go about finding out how much this visit by the worlds most notorious war criminal has cost the Australian taxpayer?

finds it easier to pose in Sydney.

It seems it's the Americans driving this visit, as they do everything. And it was their security
guys taking over and giving orders to ours.

It was completely over the top, and can't have been the source of any goodwill towards Cheney or the
US. People were just mad about the disruption, and the only excited person was Howard.

In reality, he could have slipped quietly into Sydney and nobody would have noticed or cared.

has made Howard a little nervous about holding APEC meeting in Sydney later in the year? He's looking like a very nervous little man lately, especially since Maxine Mckew has thrown her hat in the ring. I'm just loving these mind games Rudd and the crew are playing on him lately.

but his values system is so flawed that he can't see when their gloss is only illusion.

I heard the little runt a few minutes ago praising George Miller for winning an Oscar for Happy Feet,
one again, trying to cash in on other people's achievements. In ten years, his government has done
nothing at all to foster Australian film and television, and our production rate is lower than it
has been since the early seventies. The Australian film industry is struggling badly, but this
little rat is trying to make out that he's somehow responsible for any success that is achieved in
spite of him.

Maxine McKew certainly caught everybody on the hop - didn't see that one coming at all. I just don't
know how seriously to take it. I think she's too smart to allow herself to be used by Labor, so is
she for real, or as you said, just messing with Howard's head?

Bob Hogg has been her partner for many years. Unless the Liberal Party slime machine unearth some past indiscretions, she is in a "no lose" situation. Its all part of playing mind games with Howard. Its just another front that he is being attacked from.

If she doesnt win the seat off him in the next election, it will be good practice for when there is a by election.

all things Howard is not.

I think it is more about messing with Howard's head though - if she was just keen to get into
Parliament, I think she'd have waited for a safer seat.

But she has a lot of goodwill, and even if she just makes a good dent in his numbers, he's going to
look vulnerable.

Seriously, it's the Vice President for heaven's sake - unless the President dies or there's a tie in the Senate, he's useless! Heck, the Governor-General has more duties than the VP.

besides, I am certain that bullets are scared of Dick Cheney!

glove puppet would not dare do anything without uncle Dicky's approval.

or for the Bush Administration. People started out mostly indifferent, and ended up angry at the
traffic holdups and Bridge closing.

Obviously it was all about dirty deeds with Howard - more troops, perhaps, and a desperate plea from
Howard to do something about David Hicks before the election?