Confessions of a Misguided Trio

I've just been told that Aussie PM John Howard actually got some airplay in the US overnight, which is hilarious...

PMJH was being interviewed on Channel 9's Sunday program and was asked for a reaction to, potential US president and current US Sen. Barack Obama's Iraq withdrawal policy...

I think he's wrong. I think that will just encourage those who want to completely destabilise and destroy Iraq, and create chaos and a victory for the terrorists to hang on and hope for an Obama victory,".

"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."

Obama has commented on our little Johnny, giving him what could best be described as a diplomatic bitch slap into line...

I think it's flattering that one of George Bush's allies on the other side of the world started attacking me the day after I announced," Senator Obama said in Iowa.

"I would also note that we have close to 140,000 troops in Iraq, and my understanding is Mr Howard has deployed 1400, so if he is ... to fight the good fight in Iraq, I would suggest that he calls up another 20,000 Australians and sends them to Iraq.

"Otherwise it's just a bunch of empty rhetoric."

20,000 Aussie troops would erode an Reserve ADF members (19, 275 as per 2004/05), then again that is just the reserves, if Howard was to deploy from the permanent ADF, currently at 51,189 reduced to 31,189 personnel...

Regardless, Howard can't follow through on Obama's challenge as...

The latest ACNielsen poll in Fairfax newspapers today has the Labor party 16 percentage points in front of the governing coalition on a two-party preferred vote while Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd also leads Mr Howard in the preferred prime minister stakes.

This is all very reminiscent of Dick Armitage telling Australian politicians what they should do... Howard rebuked the ambassador then, it is now time for the Australian people to rebuke Howard, tell him to concentrate on this country, and not comment on his superiors!

Edit: I didn't realise just how big of a story this was going to be, the news bulletins tonight have been coming thick and fast... Perhaps the most well thought out response comes from Michael McKinley from ANU...

Foreign policy experts doubt the episode will do any long-term damage to the alliance.

Dr Michael McKinley, an international relations expert from the Australian National University, described the Prime Minister's comments as stupid but doubted they'd have any long-term impact on relations between Australia and the US.

"If the Democrats win, some of them will remember this but it's quite likely that John Howard will not be prime minister for very long, if at all, when it happens," he said.