Anti-war Is Not Anti-American

Ronald Reagan's former adviser Doug Bandow:

"One of Washington's few friends not looking for the exit is Australia. That's good for the US - anyone would prefer to have companionship as their car hurtles off a cliff - but not necessarily good for Canberra.

Prime Minister John Howard mirrors the rhetoric of President George W. Bush with his Government's promise that 'our troops will stay in Iraq until the job is done'. But that might not be within either leader's lifetime. Such a commitment seems imprudent at best. To question it, as Opposition Leader Mark Latham does, certainly is not anti-American.

... there's no need for the US to hand out security guarantees to Australia. Nor is there reason for Australia to follow the US lead in distant parts of the globe. There certainly is no cause for Canberra to commit itself, even in a small way, to Washington's misbegotten occupation of Iraq. Even many Americans now realise the Iraq war was "based on a hunch", as Latham has observed. The Bush administration shamelessly manipulated the intelligence process and the information that resulted. Perhaps Howard can't be blamed for relying on Bush's word, but he deserves to be questioned for continuing to back Bush's policy."