Aussie PM horrified by killings in Iraq

[Barrett808]

SYDNEY, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Australian Prime Minister John Howard says "nobody is other than horrified" at the latest wave of violence Iraq.

Commenting on the deaths of at least 202 people in a wave of Baghdad car bombings in the past 24 hours, Howard said the permanent solution to the conflict in Iraq lay in giving Iraqi military forces as much day-to-day security responsibility as possible.

"Iraq is certainly going through a very bad phase ... and nobody is other than horrified at the continued loss of life," he told Southern Cross Radio.

"The question arises, what to do? I think that the path ahead lies in a greater assumption of responsibility by the Iraqi military forces themselves."

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20061124-040058-7266r

But wasn't he saying just yesterday that Iraq is not a catastrophe?

[acmavm]

1. Well Mr. Howard, you and blivet and tony and berli are who we have

to thank for this incredible turn of events. You boys decided to attack a defenseless country for your own selfish, greedy, criminally motivated reasons.

I really don't give a damn what those bastards say anymore. I only want to know what the hell the civilized world is going to do about them.

[Amonester]

2. What a criminal idiot!! "The question arises, what to do?"

What a war criminal a$$ that how-War-dee absolute idiot... What to do??
How about listen to what WE said first?? Duh... Too late for that.
The chimp was soooooo credible then... :grr:

"I think that the path ahead lies in a greater assumption of responsibility by the Iraqi military forces themselves."

Yeah... right... and what if most of the Iraqi military forces are also involved in a few militias themselves (as it seems is the case)??

Who votes for this ignorant war criminal? :shrug:

[saigon68]

20. War Criminal Howard should send "MORE TROOPS"

Into the meat grinder

[Peace Patriot]

3. Good Christ! This is WORD FOR WORD the script from Vietnam!

That's EXACTLY the thing they started saying when the Vietnam War began to going badly--turn it over to the South Vietnamese puppet army, which was riddled with corruption and told to kill their own people for greed and power, whereas the motive of the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong was SELF-DETERMINATION. Do the geezers here REMEMBER? It was called "Vietnamization" of the conflict--the Nixon-Kissinger scam. I can hardly believe my eyes that I'm reading this ALL OVER AGAIN.

Are these warmongers stupid? Or do they think WE'RE stupid? Or is it just that getting fat on war profits makes you lazy, so we can't even think up new lies?

[Bitwit1234]

4. The old saying........

"He was for the war before he was against it"....remember all the articles that he knew bush was going to invade Iraq and he was gung ho on the subject.

[Tempest]

5. Their blood is on his hands

There's a special place in Hell waiting for Howard, Bush, Blair and everyone who pushed this war.

[ninkasi]

6. He is truly as out of touch as Bush

Consider this statement

<snip>

"Iraq is certainly going through a very bad phase ... and nobody is other than horrified at the continued loss of life," he told Southern Cross Radio.

Brilliant, right? "A very bad phase" is what my kids went through from time to time as teenagers. Iraq is in the middle of an unnecessary catastrophe. "Nobody is other than horrified at the continued loss of life," he says. What did you expect? Did you expect Iraq to just surrender everything to the invading forces, and say, "Ok, guess we need to become a democracy now, because Bush and his buddies Blair and Howard say so. Let's all just turn our weapons in until the rich white guys have sucked every drop of wealth from our country. Then we can sit around and talk to people who have been our enemies for ages, and follow a script that somebody else has written. No need to try to determine for ourselves what kind of a country we want. The main thing is to make Bush a WAR PRESIDENT, and let our destruction add a special luster to his legacy. What's more important anyway, our lives, or his legacy?"

How on earth do these morons get elected? It is only possible with the cooperation of their country's citizens, who at one time blind to everything but their own lives, and well-being. Then, after the people woke up, the so-called leaders are still calling the shots, and the world is imploding around us. But cheer up, Bush is a WAR PRESIDENT, and everybody knows that's more important than the lives and well-being of millions of other humans. Just in case...:sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[Art_from_Ark]

10. "How on earth do these morons get elected?"

In bu$h's case, he was "elected" by the Supreme Court (including the hundting buddy of his running mate), who decided he needed "more equal" protection under the Constitution that the people's real choice, Al Gore, did.

In Howard's and Blair's cases, they are not elected by the public at large, but rather by a relatively small constituency. The become leaders after being selected by members of the ruling party.

[Wilms]

7. How timely, Howard.

Australian Company AWB 'knew Iraq plans a year before'

11/23/06 "AAP" -- -- A YEAR before the invasion of Iraq, the then Australian ambassador to the United Nations, John Dauth, confidentially told AWB's former chairman Trevor Flugge the Howard Government would participate in military action with the US to overthrow Saddam Hussein, new AWB documents reveal.

AWB Board minutes show Mr Flugge told the AWB board on February 27, 2002, that Mr Dauth confided in him that he believed US military action to depose Saddam Hussein was inevitable and that the Australian Government would support and participate in such action, Fairfax newspapers report.

The documents, released at the Cole inquiry yesterday, undercut previous statements by Prime Minister John Howard that Australia did not agree to join the war before the UN debate in late 2002 and early 2003.

The conversation between Mr Dauth and Mr Flugge is reported to have taken place 13 months before the military action began.

snip

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article15715.htm

[Cha]

8. john howard just said

the other day that Iraq was going fine or some such drivel. How do the Aussies stand that bush enabler?

[Joe Chi Minh]

16. It puzzles me, too. I thought they had more character than us in the UK.

Well, it's only one criterion, but you'd have to think it significant that, as in the UK, the only people who take up politics are corrupt chancers, and the people suffer, having nowhere to turn.

In Oz, I think it started with Bob Hawke's lurch to the right, anticipating New Labour.

[Cha]

19. Well, maybe the pendulum will

swing towards the Reality Party in the not too distant future!

[rodeodance]

22. he got a second term like we gave Bush a second term---

[struggle4progress]

9. He's sort of Dimson's caddy, downunder:

Australia's Howard says Iraq not a "disaster"
19 Nov 2006 10:11:20 GMT
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP207823.htm

Howard rejects Blair's Iraq criticism
November 19, 2006
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20785342-23109,00.html

Blair, Howard call for help in Iraq from Syria, Iran - CBC North
Monday, November 13, 2006
http://www.nowpublic.com/blair_howard_call_for_help_in_iraq_from_syria_iran_cbc_north

Defeat of coalition in Iraq will spoil US reputation: Howard
Melbourne, Nov 15:
http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=335731&sid=WOR

Howard: Iraq strategy won't change
November 8, 2006
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/11/08/howard.iraq.ap/index.html

Violence no reason to quit Iraq - Howard
October 20 2006 at 08:30AM
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=2024&art_id=qw1161325262849B223

Howard denies Iraq bribe warnings
Last Updated: Thursday, 13 April 2006, 03:00 GMT 04:00 UK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4901938.stm

[Zorra]

11. Well, Mr. Howard, horror is what right-wingers like yourself bring to

this world.

What to do? You really should have thought about this in 2002, before you helped Commander Cuckoobananas and his poodle unleash this new right-wing horror upon our planet.

Maybe you should resign and let someone who knows what to do take over.

[Matilda]

12. Howard is the man who this week said that Vietnam was a just war.

"THE Prime Minister, John Howard, on his first visit to Vietnam, has said he still supports Australia's decision to fight the Vietnam War.

Not only that, but Mr Howard said that if he developed any doubts, he would keep them to himself. This revealing exposition of his philosophy suggests he will not only remain part of the small minority which supported the disastrous failure in Vietnam, but he will remain steadfast in his support for the invasion of Iraq, regardless of events.

(snip)

Asked whether he considered the Vietnam War a mistake, Mr Howard said: "I supported our involvement at the time and I don't intend to recant that.

"I believe that in public life you are accountable for the decisions you take. I mean, I didn't hold any position of authority then, but I supported the reasons for Australia's involvement and nothing has altered my view that at the time, on the assessments that were made, then I took that view, and I took that view properly."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/vietnam-a-just-war-says-pm/2006/11/21/1163871407345.html


How very interesting it is that although he was the right age to serve,
John Howard failed to volunteer for service.

He's a true chicken hawk, through and through.

[unkachuck]

13. Irao was....

....being contained just fine until you and your greedy capitalist oil buddies got involved or don't you remember....

....another glaring example of the failure of capitalism....on many levels....

[UTUSN]

14. Oh, REALLY? Like when he KNEW a year AHEAD of time? (see other thread) n/t

[IntiRaymi]

15. USA-England-Australia-Israel

The real 'Axis of Evil'

[Barrett808]

17. Spain and Italy have recently withdrawn... n/t

[IntiRaymi]

18. It took fair elections to do so. nt

[rodeodance]

21. "The question arises, what to do? part of the NO planning outcome

[calimary]

23. He says - "the question arises, what to do?" GET THE HELL OUT.

VERY simple answer. We get our troops OUT OF THERE.