September 24, 2004
LOOKIN' FOR LOVE IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES:
Undermining Australia (Charles Krauthammer, September 24, 2004, Townhall)
Of all our allies in the world, which is the only one to have joined the United States in the foxhole in every war in the last 100 years? Not Britain, not Canada, certainly not France. The answer is Australia.Australia not only shares a community of values with the United States. It understands that its safety rests ultimately on a stable international structure that, in turn, rests not on parchment treaties but on the power and credibility of the United States. Which is why Australia is with us today in both Afghanistan and Iraq. [...]
Americans Overseas for Kerry is the Kerry operation for winning the crucial votes of Americans living abroad (remember the Florida recount?), including more than 100,000 who live in Australia. Its leader was interviewed Sept. 16 by The Australian's Washington correspondent, Roy Eccleston. Asked if she believed the terrorist threat to Australians was now greater because of the support for President Bush, she replied: ``I would have to say that,'' noting that ``the most recent attack was on the Australian embassy in Jakarta.''
She said this of her country (and of the war that Australia is helping us with in Iraq): ``We are endangering the Australians now by this wanton disregard for international law and multilateral channels.'' Mark Latham could not have said it better. Nor could Jemaah Islamiah, the al Qaeda affiliate that killed 11 people in the Jakarta bombing.
This Kerry spokesman, undermining a key ally on the eve of a critical election, is no rogue political operative. She is the head of Americans Overseas for Kerry -- Diana Kerry, sister to John.
Senator Kerry has made the astonishing decision to alienate those who are actually helping in the war on terror--Britain, Australia, Iraq, Poland, etc.--and truckle to our traditional enemies--France, Germany, Canada, etc.
MORE:
Cheney: Kerry disrespectful to Iraqi leader (AP, September 24, 2004)
Vice President Dick Cheney chastised Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry on Thursday, saying his criticism of Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi showed an appalling "lack of respect."
The Vice President forgets the words of the old proverb: from whom none is given none is to be expected. Posted by Orrin Judd at September 24, 2004 10:33 AM
Unfortunately, it's not all that astonishing. Something there is in the left that loves those who hate us and scorns those who love us. See, e.g., your post on Che, above.
Posted by: David Cohen at September 24, 2004 11:15 AMTraditional enemies? Wow, Orrin, you really are planning an invasion up here, aren't you. Fortunately, as we seem to be behind the global reform of Islam and establishing a free and democratic Chechnya on your agenda, I reckon we have a little time left.
A recent poll by an Australian security thinktank asked Aussies what they saw as the greatest threat to them. Most answered Indonesia, replacing the traditional China. If you asked that question up here you would probably get "world hunger" or "the environment" as an answer.
But the article would be more accurate if it talked of a small majority of Aussies. Latham is giving Howard a good run on the line that "The war in Iraq endangered Australians."
Posted by: Peter B at September 24, 2004 11:33 AMY'all are building a statue to the deserters you took in during the Vietnam War, no?
Posted by: oj at September 24, 2004 11:41 AMWe are? Do you have a link?
Posted by: Peter B at September 24, 2004 11:47 AMhttp://www.canada.com/vancouver/story.html?id=f3cb4686-9a21-4982-b25e-9a7184936d40
Orrin:
Thanks
Ok. Causus belli if I've ever seen one. You can invade Nelson without a UN resolution. I wonder whether they are planning a statue of a poney-tailed type eking out a living making crafty things on Vancouver Island.
But, don't forget, they were your deserters.
Posted by: Peter B at September 24, 2004 12:29 PMYou could have done the decent thing and shot them.
Posted by: oj at September 24, 2004 12:46 PMYeah, but you didn't have the good taste to kick them out when they outstayed their welcome.
Posted by: Raoul Ortega at September 24, 2004 12:48 PMSpeaking of Vietnam memorials...
Posted by: Peter B at September 24, 2004 1:12 PMPeter B:
Funny you should characterize the Vietnam draft-dodgers that way, since you've just described my uncle.
He went to live in Canada to avoid Vietnam, and is now a grey haired, pony-tailed resident of Vancouver Island, eking out a living doing crafty things, mostly folk or bluegrass music.
Posted by: Michael Herdegen at September 24, 2004 7:39 PMEeee-yes! Australia rocks! We fight wars! Germany, Japan, anyone really. Bring it on, Indonesia!
Posted by: Amos at September 25, 2004 4:20 AMCheck out this site (below). Has a very good screen show set to music. It also appears by a NY Times article that the Bush administration is getting some heat about knowing their info about WMDs and Iraq was faulty, and they still charged into war.
http://www.geocities.com/americanmom59/BushCatastrophicFailure.html?1097009407000
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Posted by: direct tv at November 4, 2004 10:33 AM