"Finally, we've reached the pits. A sickening humbug of a Prime Minister genuflects to a parody of a US president rather than the anger and foreboding of the Australian people. A pathetic Opposition Leader is desperate enough to think war with Iraq could save his political career. The sanctimony in Canberra yesterday was vomit-making. Is there nothing politicians won't do in defence of deceit or ambition? - March 19, 2003
Of course not. I wrote that in the Herald the day before American and British forces, along with a handful of Australian troops, invaded Iraq almost 4½ years ago. Now, 4½ years later, the same sickening humbug of a Prime Minister is to genuflect, yet again, this time up close and personal for four days, to the very same parody of a US President.
Only now the charade will go on in a fenced-off downtown Sydney, behind absurdly overpowering security, at an overall cost to the humbug's taxpayers of $350 million. What price, do you think, "the anger and foreboding of the Australian people" this time around?
There was nothing uplifting 4½ years ago in making war on a country of which some 53 per cent of its people were under the age of 16, no matter how appalling its leader. And there surely is nothing uplifting 4½ years later in watching an ageing, unwanted John W. Howard playing host in his home city to the lame-duck political caricature that is George W. Bush and his grotesque caravan of 650 staff, advisers, security personnel and assorted hangers-on."
Alan Ramsay takes no prisoners in this hard-hitting weekly piece in the SMH today. With all the hubbub and restrictions on movement, and freedoms in general, in connection with the APEC conference in Sydney, one must ponder what good can possibly come from Bush and Howard, two losers, meeting. Answer? Zip!
By the way the SMH seems on this occasion to have been concerned not to highlight this week's piece by Ramsay on its web site. It's somewhat buried - quite contrary to the usual practice of almost invariably having it as the first piece in the Opinions section on line.
Of course not. I wrote that in the Herald the day before American and British forces, along with a handful of Australian troops, invaded Iraq almost 4½ years ago. Now, 4½ years later, the same sickening humbug of a Prime Minister is to genuflect, yet again, this time up close and personal for four days, to the very same parody of a US President.
Only now the charade will go on in a fenced-off downtown Sydney, behind absurdly overpowering security, at an overall cost to the humbug's taxpayers of $350 million. What price, do you think, "the anger and foreboding of the Australian people" this time around?
There was nothing uplifting 4½ years ago in making war on a country of which some 53 per cent of its people were under the age of 16, no matter how appalling its leader. And there surely is nothing uplifting 4½ years later in watching an ageing, unwanted John W. Howard playing host in his home city to the lame-duck political caricature that is George W. Bush and his grotesque caravan of 650 staff, advisers, security personnel and assorted hangers-on."
Alan Ramsay takes no prisoners in this hard-hitting weekly piece in the SMH today. With all the hubbub and restrictions on movement, and freedoms in general, in connection with the APEC conference in Sydney, one must ponder what good can possibly come from Bush and Howard, two losers, meeting. Answer? Zip!
By the way the SMH seems on this occasion to have been concerned not to highlight this week's piece by Ramsay on its web site. It's somewhat buried - quite contrary to the usual practice of almost invariably having it as the first piece in the Opinions section on line.
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