Comments on: Australia and Abu Ghraib

By: ChrisPer

ChrisPer — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 04:34:42 +0000

This is SO silly. Australian politics is like the Idaho league of the lib-con gotcha game. Australia’s chattering classes, left and right, are captive to the same bullshit that much of the educated western world is. Our religiously-inspired self-righteous bullshit is basically the anti-racist, anti-conservative, green religious ideas that we think ‘nice people ought to hold’. Howard is a real twister, taking no responsibility time and again because ‘he wasn’t told’ at the time. Deniability is his watchword. BUT it seems to me that this is a result of the decades of abuse poured over him by the self-righteous ‘socially conscienced’ left and media. He doesn’t give a F*** what they think, he plays it as he sees it. I would LOVE to see him taken down by a massive landslide.

By: mab

mab — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 04:19:46 +0000

Last night’s news here in Australia reported Howard’s approval ratings had just shot up. Go figure.

By: Giles

Giles — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 23:10:55 +0000

“this is “who knew what, and when did they know it” story” But I still can’t see what is the point of this story – even if Howard was told about this – why should this have been any serious concern of his?

By: John Quiggin

John Quiggin — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 21:44:33 +0000

The Red Cross report was October 03, but thanks to precedents mentioned above, those in the Defence Department who received it did not pass it on to their superiors, thereby preserving Howard’s plausible deniability on the matter. As usual, this is “who knew what, and when did they know it” story. It appears likely that all these lies will finally catch up with Howard at the next election, but I can’t say I’m as confident as I’d like to be.

By: Giles

Giles — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 19:10:04 +0000

Given that the US army had detailed the abuses abck in January, I cant see what relevance a Red Cross report in April has? Maybe you could let us know.

By: sennoma

sennoma — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 18:12:12 +0000

Australian politics does have more of a social-democratic conscience than America and less religiously-inspired self-righteousness. So we’ll see whether they put up with this. Having moved here (Portland OR) a couple of years ago, after thirty-mumble years in Aus, I agree with dan above: I’ll grant you the lower degree of Invisible Friend Foolishness in Aus, but I don’t see a lot of social-democrat anything, much less conscience, in Australia. As for whether they’ll put up with it: they will. There will be barely a peep, and it will do zero political damage to Howard. The same maladjusted majority that elected him on the strength of his race politics will see to that.

By: NeoDude

NeoDude — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 17:56:01 +0000

Hey, we (the U.S) invented democracy! By the sweat of our brow, by God!

By: abb1

abb1 — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 17:40:10 +0000

I’m struggling at the moment to identify any conscience, social-democratic or otherwise, in Australian politics. She’ll be right, mate.

By: Robert Lyman

Robert Lyman — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 14:58:28 +0000

Australian politics does have more of a social-democratic conscience than America and less religiously-inspired self-righteousness I’m delighted to see that there is no shortage of lefty-ideology-inspired self-righteousness! One would hate to see the bloody God-bothering Yanks corner the market :)

By: Alan

Alan — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 13:58:21 +0000

The current Australian Government got away with the murder of hundreds of women and children on SIEV-X. Why wouldn’t they get away with the relatively minor infraction of remaining silent when they knew some Americans were up to no good in Abu Ghraib?

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 13:06:09 +0000

Australian politics does have more of a social-democratic conscience than America and less religiously-inspired self-righteousness I’ll give you the second point, but I’m not sure about the first … I’m struggling at the moment to identify any conscience, social-democratic or otherwise, in Australian politics.

By: derrida derider

derrida derider — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 12:57:51 +0000

No doubt these are the same senior people who forgot to tell him that the children overboard photos were fake. Mr Howard’s civil servants seem to have a bad case of selective negligence. Why would anyone give this PM the benefit of any doubt?