Six days ago Australia's Foreign Minister was swanking around
being so frightfully bored dahling with all this Iraq war noodling. Downer conceded that a significant reason for following America into Iraq, for being willing to kill people and destroy their country was because we were too frightened to risk disagreeing with Bushco. What? Us have a thoughful, critical stance when our big unka Georgie wants to kill people? How very quaint, put us down for 1,000 dear.
My how things change in a week.
PM slams Keelty over terror threat remarks
Howard has got himself into a nasty public spat with his Police Commissioner who said yesterday that our risk of attack has risen because of our mindless policy of following Georgie.
John Howard has rejected suggestions by the Australian Federal Police Commissioner, Mick Keelty, that the Madrid bombings may be linked to Spain's involvement in the invasion of Iraq, if they proved the work of Islamic terrorists.
The Prime Minister said yesterday that it was "far too early" to make conclusions about who was responsible for the attacks. [Yeah, maybe 10 years from now we should hold an inquiry, that be soon enough asshole?]
Mr Keelty's views - which implied that Australia could be at greater risk of terrorist attack as a result of its role in Iraq - were also dismissed by the Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, who said the comments were "fairly simplistic", "inappropriate", and unsupported by evidence.
Simplistic and unsupported by evidence, like the Iraq war you little weasel. These bozos thought that Iraq was going to be the zipless fuck of all time, action without reaction, war without consequence. Madrid has not only changed that, but they now have to know in their vile little hearts that they haven't done nearly enough actual security improvement to make a difference. Mostly because that might upset their business backers who really don't want Government getting pro-active in checking too many cargo vessels or paying too much attention to financial movements and transactions, do they?
The SMH's International Editor Peter Hartcher has it about right Forget the past or pay in the future
Australia needs to use the jolt of the attack in Spain to review its measures against future threats. But the public debate has been sidetracked into bickering over the invasion of Iraq.
The Australian Federal Police Commissioner, Mick Keelty, assessed that Canberra's decision to support the US-led invasion of Iraq had made Australia a more important target for al-Qaeda.
The Prime Minister yesterday publicly contradicted him and suggested it was not his business to offer analyses. Both are right. John Howard is right that Australia was a target before the war and was open to attack regardless of whether it joined the invasion. And the police chief is right that, by going to war, Australia made itself a bigger target.
The clear impression, however, is that Howard and his ministers are so busy defending their past they are not fully concentrating on the future.
Keelty and all other public officials learned yesterday that they offer frank assessments at the risk of being publicly slapped down by the Prime Minister.
The Spanish voters removed their government yesterday not for failing to prevent a terrorist attack but because it was seen to be exploiting the train bombings for political purposes. The lesson is to deal honestly with the public on terrorism and national security.
Howard and his ministers need to come out of denial, cut the partisan defensiveness, and concentrate on the counter-terrorism agenda. Public officials should be allowed to talk honestly and rationally about the threat to life and property, and the ways to counter it. And Howard's political opponents need to recognise there is an important national task at hand and keep the criticism constructive.
Of course Howard and co are waving and shouting that Iraq has nothing to do with it. Of course they want to defend their past, they may have to get used to the idea when they make their next trip to the Hague, in bloody irons with any luck.
And niggling in the back of their reptilian little minds is the other certainty; that they have an election coming up this year and they really, really don't want another Madrid on Sydney rail.
They wouldn't mind the massacre, after all, it could be spun into votes the way the Tampa was last time. No, what they are terrified of, is that that is exactly what Aznar tried to pull, and he got his ass handed to him.
When the compliant and terrified masses start deconstructing the masters' actions, they get more than a bit nervous.
Can we all say SHRILL?