Cowboy Diplomacy

I bet the Honourable PM has spent the last week or so wishing for a silver DeLorean, fitted with a flux capacitor – and maybe Michael J. Fox to drive him back in time with it – back to the golden days of introducing the GST. Still, I’m guessing that even if that wish came true, Fox wouldn’t stop if he saw him crossing the road – considering his Democratic affiliations and the PM’s new found love for mouthing potential Presidential candidates.

For context, it’s been a bumpy ride for the usually unshakable PM ever since Kevin Rudd took the reigns of the Opposition. His latest ramblings on climate change have been particularly uncharacteristic and incoherent and he’s had a lot of explaining to do. Even the PM’s fall-back ‘strong economy, low interest rates’ spiel is starting to look a bit strained and by all accounts has got the look of a man running scared. It’s been a rapid decline for our second-longest serving PM – started in part by own unpopular policies and accelerated by the surprising charisma of Rudd. Overnight, stock in John Howard Inc fell even further after an embarrassing attack on Democratic Presidential hopeful (and friend of this Administration) Barack Obama that drew outcries from around the globe.

When asked about Obama’s plan for American troop reductions in Iraq, Howard stated: “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.” Yeah, he really said that. A win for the Democrats is a win for terrorism. Smooth. Not only is it a bad idea to meddle in the internal politics of an ally – but it sets a dangerous precedent for overtly using ‘the war on terror’ to win elections. Well, it's already happening to an extent (the Republicans infer stuff like this all the time) but rarely so blatantly. Howard has leapt right past inference and innuendo and straight to: Obama is a terrorist supporter.

Now, we need to tread carefully in the next couple of years and be very watchful that all of our civil rights don’t get tossed out the window. Already the spectre of Terrorism is used to justify a failing war in Iraq, exorbitant military spending and otherwise illegal detention without trial. If we allow it to so rampantly be used as a tool in trying to win elections, then Democracy will continue its march from reality to illusion. Now, as I’ve previously discussed, Barack Obama is a stand-up guy. A fresh face, with some big ideas. He may not suit everyone, but he’s audacious and he’s trying to make a difference. In short, he’s scaring old school politicians, just like Howard and Bush – because he makes them look foolish. Astutely, the Obama camp pointed out: “If Prime Minister Howard truly believes what he says, perhaps his country should find its way to contribute more than just 1,400 troops so some American troops can come home. It's easy to talk tough when it's not your country or your troops making the sacrifice.”

The point that alluding to Terrorism for the sake of politics is dangerous is easily made. Its just common sense. Making off the cuff statements like this can endanger our US-alliance, our reputation on the world stage – and hopefully the career of our big talking PM.