This seems bizzare

[Royal Flush]

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has claimed US presidential hopeful Barack Obama's stance on Iraq will benefit those seeking to destroy it.

Mr Obama, currently a Democrat senator, said that US troops should withdraw from the troubled nation next year.

Mr Howard said al-Qaeda should be "praying as many times as possible" for an Obama victory in the 2008 elections.

But Mr Obama reacted by saying Australia should increase its troops in Iraq, if Mr Howard was so concerned.

Mr Howard said: "I think he's [Mr Obama] wrong. I think that will just encourage those who want to completely destabilize and destroy Iraq, and create chaos and a victory for the terrorists to hang on and hope for an Obama victory.

"If I were running al-Qaeda in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008 and be praying as many times as possible for a victory not only for Obama but also for the Democrats."

Mr Howard, who himself faces elections this year, said any withdrawal of US troops from Iraq by March 2008 - the date Mr Obama believes should be set - would mean defeat for Washington.

He said that defeat for the US would end hopes for peace in the Palestinian Territories and cause widespread destabilisation in countries such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Mr Obama, who has described the Iraq war as "tragic", said he was "flattered" by Mr Howard's statement.

He said: "I think it's flattering that one of George Bush's allies on the other side of the world started attacking me the day after I announced.

"I would also note that we have close to 140,000 troops on the ground now, and my understanding is Mr Howard has deployed 1,400, so if he is (ready) to fight the good fight in Iraq, I would suggest that he calls up another 20,000 Australians and sends them to Iraq."

He added: "Otherwise it's just a bunch of empty rhetoric."

Australia's opposition Labor party said Mr Howard's statement imperilled the relationship the country might have with a future Democratic administration.


A foreign leader criticizing a candidate for a party election. This is surely going to do Obama more good than harm?

[mex]

He will do what ever the people who really run American tell him to do.

[Royal Flush]

He will do what ever the people who really run American tell him to do.

Howard?

[mex]

no i mean the construction/oil/munnitions companies will use the usual threats and influence. Terrists don't half boost an economy.

Thing is the US can't win now, dammed if they stay, seen as interfering, they pull out and it's ,'the US destablizes the middle east then runs out on it'.

They also need to nail all this in time to have a pop at korea,  all the while trying to convince the world to trade $$$$ not euro's, (which is another reason to kiss chinesse ass and get pushy with the middle east, many who want to trade in euros now).

Its getting so out of hand i do not see a solution or peace in my time, as someone else said here America needs an enemy to exist, if it doesn't have one, it will create one.

[Royal Flush]

no i mean the construction/oil/munnitions companies will use the usual threats and influence. Terrists don't half boost an economy.

Thing is the US can't win now, dammed if they stay, seen as interfering, they pull out and it's ,'the US destablizes the middle east then runs out on it'.

They also need to nail all this in time to have a pop at korea,  all the while trying to convince the world to trade $$$$ not euro's, (which is another reason to kiss chinesse ass and get pushy with the middle east, many who want to trade in euros now).

Its getting so out of hand i do not see a solution or peace in my time, as someone else said here America needs an enemy to exist, if it doesn't have one, it will create one.

Whats that got to do with howard?

[bolt pp]

LOL, Austrailia on the international political scene 

[mex]

No James I am refering to the plans fact that the candiates for election in US seem to want to use the withdrawl from iraq as a vote winning tool not actually for the good of iraqi people who have been put in a situation by the invasion.
 Howard is basically commenting on this, you seem bemused that he is doing so?
 The fact that he had and still has troops there i think its fair for him to do so, or are Austrailians worth less than Americans
 The fact America sent more troops/made a bigger mess doesn't make them right, send another 20,000, is typical big mouthed thoughtless statement, 140,000 on the ground......20,000 or 280,000 its not making a difference at the moment

Mr Howard is a world leader, (mad as crackers at times, yes) involved in the situation so he can comment, and lets face it ,more fact in his statement than anything our lot have said on the attack on iraq since day 1.

[Royal Flush]

The thing is he is commenting on a guy who hasn't even got his party's nomination! It's unusual for this to happen, he is ruining the relationship between his nation and the US democrat party which can not be a good thing, his attempts to rubbish Obama surely backfire because yanks don't care what he thinks anyway and it adds credibility to him on the global stage (the major obstacle to his nomination) it's not like what he said is even ground breaking, the Republicans are quite capable of saying it themselves.

[boldie]

Howard is an idiot and that's all there is to it.It's a shame that a country where all people seem nice (although they all do have annoying accents and most are inherintly racist) they can also be soo stupid. They would consider the Daily Mail a lefty newspaper in that God forsaken sandbox

I hope this does do Obama a lot of good. He seems a decent guy. I do think Fox News will make sure he doesn't get the nomination though...They have already started "misspelling" his name..and started with the "HE WAS EDUCATED IN A MUSLIM, read extremist, SCHOOL"...(which of course was incorrect but works on Fox viewers)

[tikay]

LOL, Austrailia on the international political scene 

....and here we see Bolt at his best!

[mex]

TBH flush i havent really read your post from that perspective, Thing is he is getting big coverage even if he hasnt been put foward yet, and Yes i agree Howard has said the obvious, and yes he is a bizarrre source for it to come from, but fair play for saying it.

There is something not right about Obama to me, some big nasty truth or something lurking.

[Claw75]

There is something not right about Obama to me, some big nasty truth or something lurking.

a politician with a skeleton in their cupboard

[mex]

No this will be different me thinks

[Royal Flush]

No this will be different me thinks

It's quite some rise he has had, the most charasmatic politician around, how he got this far though is a mystery.