Supporting the Iraq War debacle and cozying up to Bush really did Howard a lotta good:
quote:
Labor Party Wins Big in Australia
By ROHAN SULLIVAN
The Associated Press
Saturday, November 24, 2007; 8:49 AM
SYDNEY, Australia -- Conservative Prime Minister John Howard suffered a humiliating defeat Saturday at the hands of the left-leaning opposition, whose leader has promised to immediately sign the Kyoto Protocol on global warming and withdraw Australia's combat troops from Iraq.
Labor Party head Kevin Rudd's pledges on global warming and Iraq move Australia sharply away from policies that had made Howard one of President Bush's staunchest allies.
Rudd has named global warming as his top priority, and his signing of the Kyoto Protocol will leave the U.S. as the only industrialized country not to have joined it.
Rudd said he would withdraw Australia's 550 combat troops from Iraq, leaving twice that number in mostly security roles. Howard had said all the troops will stay as long as needed.
Official figures from the Australian Electoral Commission showed Labor far in front after more than 70 percent of the ballots had been counted _ with 53 percent of the vote compared to 46.7 percent for Howard's coalition.
Using those figures, an Australian Broadcasting Corp. analysis showed that Labor would get at least 81 places in the 150-seat lower house of Parliament _ a clear majority.
It was an embarrassing end to the career of Howard, Australia's second-longest serving leader.
As little as a year ago, Howard had appeared almost unassailable. But on Saturday he was in real danger of becoming only the second sitting prime minister in 106 years of federal government to lose his own seat in Parliament.
Howard took full blame for the drubbing handed to his center-right coalition.
"I accept full responsibility for the Liberal Party campaign, and I therefore accept full responsibility for the coalition's defeat in this election campaign," Howard said in his concession speech in Sydney.
A new government is unlikely to mean a fundamental change in Australia's close alliance with the United States _ its most important security partner _ or its growing economic and political ties with Asia.
At home, Rudd has pledged to govern as an "economic conservative," while pouring money into schools and universities. He will curtail sweeping industrial reforms laws that were perceived to hand bosses too much power, turning many working voters against Howard.
"Today Australia has looked to the future," Rudd said in a nationally televised victory speech, to wild cheers from supporters. "Today the Australian people have decided that we as a nation will move forward ... to embrace the future, together to write a new page in our nation's history."
In his concession speech, Howard announced he had phoned Rudd to congratulate him on "a very emphatic victory."
The change from Howard to Rudd also marks a generational shift for Australia.
Rudd, a 50-year-old former diplomat who speaks fluent Chinese, urged voters to support him because Howard, 68, was out of touch with modern Australia and ill-equipped to deal with new-age issues such as climate change.
Howard campaigned on his economic management, arguing that his government was mostly responsible for 17 years of unbroken growth, fueled by China's and India's hunger for Australia's coal and other minerals, and that Rudd could not be trusted to maintain prosperous times.
Labor has been out of power for more than a decade, and few in Rudd's team _ including him _ has any government experience at federal level. His team includes a former rock star _ Midnight Oil singer Peter Garrett _ a television journalist and former union officials.
But analysts say his foreign policy credentials are impeccable, and that he has shown discipline and political skill since his election as Labor leader 11 months ago.
Rudd's election as Labor leader marked the start of Howard's decline in opinion polls, from which he never recovered.
Howard's four straight election victories since 1996 made him one of Australia's most successful politicians. He refused to stand down before this election _ even after being urged to do by some party colleagues.
WARSAW, Poland — Poland's new prime minister outlined ambitious plans for the next four years in his inaugural address Friday, saying he plans to withdraw troops from Iraq next year but also push for stronger relations with NATO.
In a three-hour speech to parliament, Donald Tusk laid out a vision for the country that includes more capitalism _ privatization, tax cuts and simplifying business laws _ to bolster the economy of this ex-communist country.
While Tusk and his Civic Platform party want to continue the strong friendship with the U.S., he gave a taste of plans that, taken together, would suggest that the country plans to assert more independence in its relations with Washington.
Tusk said that, by the end of next year, Poland would withdraw its 900 troops from Iraq, where it leads an international contingent of about 2,000 soldiers from 10 nations in the south-central part of the country.
"We will carry out that operation with the conviction that we have done more than what our allies _ especially the U.S. _ had expected from us," he said.
Tusk's call for a pullout came as no surprise. He campaigned on promises to end the unpopular mission, clashing on the issue with his opponent, then-incumbent Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who argued that withdrawing would amount to desertion.
His twin brother, President Lech Kaczynski, who is the armed forces' commander in chief, supports staying in Iraq longer and has the power to authorize foreign military missions. But he cannot unilaterally extend a mission the government wants to end.
Poland's mission in Iraq has the president's authorization until the end of the year. Tusk and the president will have to hold talks to decide when and how to end the mission.
Tusk said he planned to keep Poland's 1,200-member force in Afghanistan next year.
U.S. State Department spokesman Edgar Vasquez said Friday that the U.S. had been discussing the issue with the new Polish government and was grateful for Poland's contribution.
"Poland had indicated that it will consult fully with the United States and other allies when conducting their withdrawal to ensure that there is not any reduction in stability in the area they are leaving," Vasquez said.
Tusk also said he will resume talks with the U.S. on accepting a U.S. missile defense base in Poland _ but only after consulting with NATO and other neighboring countries _ signaling a greater hesitancy over the plan than the previous government.
"NATO is the main pillar and guarantor of Poland's security," Tusk said.
U.S.-Polish talks on the missile shield plan began earlier this year under Kaczynski's government, which strongly supported hosting a site as a way of bolstering the trans-Atlantic alliance.
Russia has sharply opposed U.S. plans to deploy missile defense installations in Poland and the neighboring Czech Republic, saying it would destabilize the balance of power in the region.
Many of Tusk's points were met by applause in the chamber, although the sheer length of his speech _ the longest by a prime minister since the fall of Communism _ was clearly an annoyance to some.
Some lawmakers could be seen rubbing their eyes or dozing off, while an opposition lawmaker slammed Tusk's long speech as reminiscent of long-winded Communists.
"Donald Tusk is the Fidel Castro of Polish politics," said Zbigniew Girzynski, a lawmaker with Law and Justice.
Tusk, who was sworn in a week ago, spent the largest part of the policy speech on domestic issues. He vowed to lower taxes, reduce the state deficit and put the country on the path to adopt the euro currency "as soon as possible." However, he gave no date.
Tusk pledged to simplify business regulations and speed up privatization. He said less government interference was needed to stimulate private enterprise in Poland, which shed Communism in 1989.
He also said a priority of his government would be to modernize the dilapidated road system and the outdated railways.
Tusk's party ousted Jaroslaw Kaczynski's nationalist, conservative government in Oct. 21 elections but failed to gain a parliamentary majority on its own. It then forged a coalition with the centrist Polish People's Party.
_____
Associated Press writers Monika Scislowska and Ryan Lucas contributed to this report
quote:
Denmark to pull troops from Iraq
Denmark will withdraw its troops from Iraq by August, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said.
The troops, numbering about 460, will be replaced by a unit of about 50 soldiers manning four observational helicopters, he said.
It comes as Tony Blair announced a timetable for reducing British troop numbers in Iraq from 7,100 to 5,500.
Most Danish troops are based in the southern city of Basra, where they operate under British command.
The mandate for Danish troops to serve in Iraq is due to expire in June.
Waning public support
Mr Rasmussen said the decision to pull out was taken after consultation with the Iraqi government and the British.
COALITION FORCES
US -132,000
UK - 7,100
South Korea - 3,200
Poland - 900
Georgia - 800-850
Australia - 900
Romania - 600-865
Denmark - 460
El Salvador - 380
Bulgaria - 150
Sources: Brookings Institution; Globalsecurity.org; media reports
"We expect that the Iraqis during 2007 will take over security in southern Iraq," she said.
Five Danish soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the conflict began in 2003.
Denmark was one of the original countries involved in the coalition.
There was general public support for the initial invasion, reports the BBC's Julian Isherwood in Copenhagen, but backing for the war is now at its lowest level.
A recent poll showed 64% of Danes thought it completely or predominantly wrong for Denmark to continue to have troops in Iraq.
Mr Rasmussen said the withdrawal from Iraq would enable Denmark to increase its troop deployment to Afghanistan.
He said no final decision had been taken, but the country's troop deployment could rise from 400 to 600.
"We are favourable to sending more troops to Afghanistan... because it is essential that Nato wins its battle against the Taleban," he said.
Most Danish troops in Afghanistan are under UK command in southern Helmand province.
Q5echo
they're going to immediately sign on to Kyoto. the left...real smart:rolleyes:
Krypton
quote:
Originally posted by Q5echo
they're going to immediately sign on to Kyoto. the left...real smart:rolleyes:
It's not about left or right. It's about whose mistakes cost over $500 billion and millions of people lives in the garbage can... reaaall smart....:rolleyes:
Q5echo
quote:
Originally posted by Krypton
It's not about left or right. It's about whose mistakes cost over $500 billion and millions of people lives in the garbage can... reaaall smart....:rolleyes:
listen, Rudd will still carry on most of the Bush doctrine now that we're on the down slope. his foriegn policies policies will not be too far away from Howards. this is not as much a referendum on Bush as you may want to think.
Kyoto and the attempt to shift to it is purely right/left issue. prove to me it's not instead of vomiting something contrary to what i say.
...besides, how smart do you have to be to eat your own earwax, much less getting pwned in Parliament for it :rolleyes:
Magnetonium
Even though Howard was conservative, I admired him as a politician who has done amazing things for Australia. He rebuild the economy and standards of living increased in the country during his rule. His main mistake was Iraq, I think. Everyone can see now what Iraq is really all about, and unfortunately for Howard he refused to adjust with the times / changing political climate.
Q5echo
quote:
Originally posted by Magnetonium
Everyone can see now what Iraq is really all about, and unfortunately for Howard he refused to adjust with the times / changing political climate.
he refused to "adjust with the times / changing political climate" because he doesn't think "Iraq is all about" what you think it's about. ever think of that?
Q5echo
a comely milkmaid by birth...:tongue3
Krypton
I'm not much knowledgable about Australian politics, but what I know is that several leaders who supported the ill-fated invasion of Iraq have paid for it in elections, Australia included...
Q5echo
quote:
Originally posted by Krypton
I'm not much knowledgable about Australian politics, but what I know is that several leaders who supported the ill-fated invasion of Iraq have paid for it in elections, Australia included...
thats shallow thinking IMO.
my take is this election was not so much about a referendum of the Bush doctrine as much as it was about right/left issues within the country and it's electorate.
