At the present you seem to be running around the U.S. telling anyone who'll listen that Australia is a very silly country for throwing you out of office. One of the reasons you seem to think we Australian's are so silly is that we voted for a new government who promised to pull our troops out of Iraq.
Well Mr Howard, why shouldn't we pull them out? On the 14th of May, 2003 you said in parliament:
"Not only was the military operation completed quickly and successfully but it is also worth recording that all of the doomsday predictions, particularly the many that came from those who sit opposite, were not realised. The oilwells were not set on fire; there were not millions of refugees; the dams on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were not breached to bring on catastrophic flooding; and there was no long, drawn out, bloody, Stalingrad style street-to-street fighting in Baghdad. For all of this we must be immensely grateful, but it is a reminder of the hysteria and the doomsday predictions that often accompany operations of this kind. And, just as many of the predictions about a Western Front style holocaust that were made in 1991 when the land war commenced were proved wrong, so the predictions on this occasion have been proved wrong."So if, "the military operation completed quickly and successfully", why are our troops still there, and why can't we pull them out? But that isn't all you said. You went on to say:
"The decisive victory of the American led coalition reflects enormous credit on the strength and the determination of the leadership of President Bush. Again I remind the House of the way in which his role was vilified and traduced by many of those who sit opposite and of the way in which speaker after speaker from the Australian Labor Party impugned his integrity, assaulted his judgment and called into question his ability to lead the United States in this very difficult conflict. History has proved them wrong."History proved who wrong Mr Howard? There was no victory was there? If there was I doubt we would have needed a surge. Looking the situation as it exists now in March 2008 no one who has "impugned" the "integrity", "assaulted" the "judgment", or has "called into question" the "ability" of President Bush been proved wrong. No Mr Howard, it is you who has been proved wrong. By both the electorate and history.
But, speaking of wars, lets look at another of your favorite wars, the Culture Wars.
I know this might be a silly question, considering your predilection for claiming victory in un-won wars, but are you still claiming victory in the "Culture Wars"? If you are still claiming victory, what was the Sorry Day about? Looked a lot like a repudiation of your version of Australian culture and history to me!
So before you do another of your US speaking gigs a bit of introspection might be in order. I'd hate for you get anything else wrong.
Best Regards Zeff
