Mahler's Prodigal Son

Tony Jones interviewed Defence Minister Brendon Nelson on ABC TV's Lateline last night. To listen to Nelson defend his PM in relation to the "attack" Howard has made on the Democratic Party presidential hopeful, Barack Obana, was pathetic - and pure drivel. Read the transcript here . But look out for this telling question and Nelson's evasion in answering the valid point made by Jones: TONY JONES: Well, as I understand it, the Obama plan is actually based on the phased withdrawal idea that was actually put forward by the Iraq Study Group, which, of course, was led by the former Republican Secretary of State, James A. Baker. His interests and those of terrorists aren't coincident, are they? BRENDAN NELSON: There are two things. Firstly, the Baker-Hamilton Study Group, amongst other things, emphasised that if America leaves Iraq prematurely it would be catastrophic for the Iraqis, the region and indeed the global struggle against terrorism. As I also understa...

No one could accuse George Bush and his cronies at the White House of having the wit, let alone the intelligence, to consider and evaluate their actions. As the US Administration ramps up the rhetoric about Iran and its President - sabre-rattling is the only word for it! - the LA Times reports that the very actions of the Americans in "attacking" Pres. Ahmadinejad is far from helpful in the general dissatisfaction felt about him. ".... many Iranians say the international dispute over Iran's nuclear program has become a rallying point for a president who otherwise would be facing substantial public dissatisfaction over soaring inflation, rising unemployment and widespread censorship. This has been a source of frustration to Iran's reformists, who dealt the president's party a blow at the polls in local elections in December but complain that the Bush administration's threatening rhetoric has pulled the rug out from under them. "You are harmful f...

Forget about the image of a young, blonde fellow wearing tattered board-shorts being your typical surfer. No more, according to this piece in the NY Times . Looks like Quiksilver and Billabong are themselves literally riding a wave here in selling their gear to all those surfers out there - and not only those teenagers. "Surfing, once the sport of Hawaiian kings, has come full circle. After becoming a counterculture activity for beach bums and bohemians, it has emerged as a status sport, like skiing and golf. Surfing’s popularity has helped drive international real estate sales, with property along remote coastlines being bought and developed into resorts and vacation homes. Parts of Costa Rica are considered so crowded that some surfers have pushed north to Nicaragua. And in Mexico, rumors abound about development in a remote area of Baja California known as Scorpion Bay."

Crikey editorialises [only available against subscription]: "Sometimes the old tools just don’t work any more. After years of sterling service they get rusty, worn and ineffective. It’s now clear that John Howard needs a new toolkit. He needs to put away his dog whistle, his climate change hammer and his Bush megaphone and find a new set of tools for the big jobs that need to be done in 2007. The Prime Minister’s absurd and embarrassing attack on US presidential hopeful Barack Obama yesterday is evidence that the Bush megaphone should be locked away in the toolshed at The Lodge. To understand the arch stupidity of his remarks – that an Obama presidency would be a “victory for the terrorists” in Iraq – just imagine Howard’s own response if a notable foreign political opponent made derogatory comments about the PM or one of his colleagues in the heat of an Australian election campaign. He would be justifiably outraged. The good news for his party is that Howard seems to have discar...

This blog has previously dealt with the Bush budget proposal for further funding, in the billions of dollars, for the Iraq War. Columnist Eric Margolis, writing in the Toronto Sun , reflects on how all those millions of dollars which have been committed to the USA's wars in the Middle East have impacted on America and where all that money seems to have really ended up: “A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon you’re talking about real money,” famously quipped U.S. Senator Everett Dirksen back in the 1960s. Our minds boggled last week at U.S. government estimates that President George W. Bush’s so-called “war on terror” (including Afghanistan and Iraq) will cost at least $690 billion US by next year. That’s more than the total cost of World War I, Korea, or Vietnam, and second only to World War II’s $2 trillion. This means that by 2008, Bush’s wars in the Muslim world will have cost each American man, woman and child $2,300. Defeat looms in Iraq; Afghanistan is headed that way....

If this report in The Guardian is correct, the world will see the next War unleashed in the Middle East in the northern hemisphere Spring - when the US attacks Iran. All the "noises" from Washington point to Iran being in the sights of the Americans. "US preparations for an air strike against Iran are at an advanced stage, in spite of repeated public denials by the Bush administration, according to informed sources in Washington. The present military build-up in the Gulf would allow the US to mount an attack by the spring. But the sources said that if there was an attack, it was more likely next year, just before Mr Bush leaves office. Neo-conservatives, particularly at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute, are urging Mr Bush to open a new front against Iran. So too is the vice-president, Dick Cheney. The state department and the Pentagon are opposed, as are Democratic congressmen and the overwhelming majority of Republicans. The sources said Mr Bush h...

John Howard has always maintained that it isn't Australia's place to interfere in the politics of another country. Except the US it now seems. And more to the point if the "interference" assists a "mate" like George Bush what the heck! How else to explain Howard's totally uncalled for attack on the just announced Democratic candidate for the presidency in 2008 as reported in the SMH : "Prime Minister John Howard has launched a broadside against US presidential hopeful Barack Obama, warning his victory could destroy Iraq and prospects for peace in the Middle East. Mr Howard's stinging attack against the popular Democrat, who formally launched his bid for the Democratic candidacy overnight, also appears to commit Australian troops to staying in Iraq well into 2008. Only days after saying Australia's alliance with the US was about more than his personal friendship with US President George W Bush, Mr Howard warned that an Obama victory ...