While Prime Minister Howard visits the Australian troops in Iraq - and the media pack breathlessly report the details of the "wildest ride of his life" - he refuses to announce any timetable for withdrawal.
Back on planet Earth, and with increasing reports of civil war on the cards, calls for US withdrawal is growing louder. New York Times veteran John F. Burns reported last weekend that Shiite militias and Shiite and Kurdish-led army and police units, often backed by US and British forces, were themselves launching aggressive measures to tackle the insurgency, including kidnapping, torture and extra-judicial killing. And this would be different from the days of Saddam?
A Western-friendly government in Baghdad is unlikely in the long run. Ask Howard, Bush and Blair how they'd feel about an administration with close ties to "axis of evil" Iran? Howard visited Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari "in his capital, in his office as the democratic prime minister of Iraq". More than a week since Seymour Hersh published his revelations surrounding American attempts to subvert the January elections, the Australian media continues to ignore the scoop.
I read the story again last night. If anybody, including Howard and his media cheerleaders, truly believe that the current Iraqi leadership was democratically elected, they're as deluded as believing the existence of WMD.
Back on planet Earth, and with increasing reports of civil war on the cards, calls for US withdrawal is growing louder. New York Times veteran John F. Burns reported last weekend that Shiite militias and Shiite and Kurdish-led army and police units, often backed by US and British forces, were themselves launching aggressive measures to tackle the insurgency, including kidnapping, torture and extra-judicial killing. And this would be different from the days of Saddam?
A Western-friendly government in Baghdad is unlikely in the long run. Ask Howard, Bush and Blair how they'd feel about an administration with close ties to "axis of evil" Iran? Howard visited Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari "in his capital, in his office as the democratic prime minister of Iraq". More than a week since Seymour Hersh published his revelations surrounding American attempts to subvert the January elections, the Australian media continues to ignore the scoop.
I read the story again last night. If anybody, including Howard and his media cheerleaders, truly believe that the current Iraqi leadership was democratically elected, they're as deluded as believing the existence of WMD.
2 Comments:
It seems PM Howard's visit to Iraq - which gave new meaning to the word whistle-stop - was designed to give the Australian media something to cheer about rather than any meaningful political dialogue with his Iraqi counterpart. No timetable for troops departure, just a photo op and a handshake and the PM was "off like a bucket of prawns on a hot day."
I wonder if he read the Hersh article?
And of course the media fell for this trick. Again. No real discussion about what Aussie troops are actually doing there, are they involved in activity with the Americans that involves tortures, or supporting Shiite militias engaged in kidnapping or torture?
I'm not suggesting Aussie troops are actually doing any of this, BUT, are they aware of it and turning a blind eye?
Howard reading Hersh? We wish...
How about the Aussie media actually reporting the damn thing?
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