photo credit: azrainman

UPDATE: Oh the exquisite irony of it all!

* Obamas told they can’t stay in mansion

* John Howard already has place booked

* Obamas have to move into a hotel

BARACK Obama and his family have been forced to move into a hotel because John Howard is staying at their place.

via John Howard bumps Barack Obama out of Blair House in Washington | World News | News.com.au.

ORIGINAL POST:

Howard to receive US freedom medal

Samantha Maiden, Online Political Editor | 10:30am JOHN Howard will be awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom next week, in one of George W Bush’s final acts as president.

via The Australian, News from Australia’s National Newspaper.

Just how out of touch are these guys? Can’t someone quietly tap them on the shoulder and say, “Hey fellas, it’s all over, you can leave now”? It is astonishing that they keep pretending that the disastrous war that they sent our countries into was not one of the most appalling foreign policy disasters for a generation.

So again WEE will be subjected to another round of back slapping and self-congratulation by Bush, Blair and Howard. They will repeat the lie that the world is safer because of their actions and the mainstream media will again cast no critical eye on their actions – they’ll just quote the press releases that trumpet the great achievements of these diminuitive leaders.

WEE think the ceremony would be the perfect opportunity to round up the ‘three amigos’ and send them to the International Criminal Court to be tried for their war crimes. WEE’ll keep dreaming on that one.

WEE do not look forward to watching another orgy of ineptitude when these three unimaginitave leaders get together to celebrate their contribution to freedom in the world. What all of this demonstrates is just how out of touch George Bush is. Some 80% of the US population wants him to just go away. Perhaps he could just stay on vacation until 20 January?

Still, we may well get our wish that we never hear of George W  Bush again after 20 January. Apparently he is not planning to be a high profile former president. He was barely a high profile serving president given the amount of time he spent on vacation.

And WEE will not forgive him for giving further oxygen to our own former little leader John Howard. At least Howard still hasn’t cottoned on to the fact that being associated with George W Bush is actually not anything to write home about. Little Johnny is so out of touch too that he still thinks Bush is a man of substance and power – as opposed to the lame duck president he has been for about the last 3 years.

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photo credit: jurvetson

Costello denies he’s spineless

September 14, 2008

PETER Costello says he urged John Howard on several occasions to stand down as prime minister, but rejects the suggestion he lacked the guts to challenge for the Liberal leadership.

The former treasurer said he pressed Mr Howard on the issue on a number of occasions but that the former prime minister always had a reason not to hand over the leadership reins.

Costello denies he’s spineless | The Australian.

WEE don’t know about you, but we are heartily sick of hearing about Costello and his failed bid for leadership. WEE are tired of speculating on what might have been and what definitely wasn’t.

So, while you might feel a little sympathy for the man having to put up with John Howard’s antics over 11 years of the previous government, the fact remains that he did put up with them. And that really is the whole point about the spineless thing, isn’t it? He could have done so much to temper Howard and yet it appears he did nothing – apart from give us a 10% GST rather than an 8% GST. Great work Pete.

WEE hope that after his miserable little book is launched he limps out of Parliament and is never seen again. He is not an inspiring person, and he certainly is not a leader – he proved that over 11 years of the Howard government. And he is sadly proving it again in the way he has conducted himself over the last few weeks.

For everyone’s sake Peter, just give it up. You missed your moment. And to listen to you and now your wife tell us all how great it would have been – well that’s just it ‘would have’. It’s over. Go away.

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WEE think the most amazing thing about this election was the fact that the off-mainstream press (MSM) were so stunningly accurate with their predictions of a Labor win. When many were wavering and worrying about the ‘narrowing’ or Rudd just messing up, the poll watchers were calmly asserting that there was nothing to worry about.

And on the night it seems they were dead right. WEE must say, that we didn’t really believe the wise old sage, Possum, would be right – although WEE were confidently predicting a Labor win to friends and sundry, back in the deep recesses WEE had our doubts.

And then, on the evening of the election broadcast (admittedly before Queensland votes had begun counting) WEE were still wavering, worried sick that Howard and his cronies would win their unwinnable election.

But to great relief, Possum and Pollbludger were proved correct. And Howard was swept from office.

Highlights of the night included the roar from the crowd in the tally room when the ABC showed a graphic of Bennelong with Maxine McKew ahead of John Howard. Also Kerry O’Brien claiming that there, ‘was a swing to the ABC’. Priceless. It could possibly be Freudian slip of the century – in that it confirms everything the Howard huggers and ABC haters have mythologised about what’s wrong with the national broadcaster.

And finally, the change of government. It’s noticeable. There is a different feeling out there in the community now. A collective sigh of relief that Howard has gone. A slight jolt when an announcer on TV mentions the Prime Minister and you see an image of Kevin Rudd. We’re still getting used to it. Eleven years is a long time, and it’s been a long time between drinks for compassionate and respectable government. Let’s hope that Rudd can deliver the goods.

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Howard hits states again – National – smh.com.au

It might work, but WEE hope that the good burghers of Queensland will see through this act. WEE hope they’ll see through Howard’s sudden feigned outrage at people being forced into these mergers.

Along with a hospital in Mersey in Tasmania one really has to take these interventions with a grain of salt. Howard is simply out of control. He will stop at nothing to get back in. It is kind of sad in a frightening way. As happened to poor Dawn in Welcome to the Dollhouse John Howard should really go home and right an essay on dignity. Because he is certainly not displaying any at the moment.

He is probably betting on the fact that no-one will remember all of these bizarre tactics if he wins the next federal election. He is really just trying to secure his place in history and hoping to hell he can leave the stage with dignity (the way he should have left late last year).

And he will stop at nothing to do it. He won’t mind trashing any convention to remain in power. He will tell any lie, slander anyone who gets in his way. It will either work (WEE hope it won’t) or he will retire a very diminished politician who will have trashed his (questionable) legacy for the sake of his own ego.

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See the link following…

Rudd a Haneef jellyback: Downer | NEWS.com.au

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Okay, they look incriminating given the situation, but until we hear some explanation of the comments from Haneef it’s hardly a smoking gun. And what have they edited out of the conversations? Let’s face it, Andrews has hardly covered himself in glory here, and WEE would be wise to be cautious. The question remains, why has it taken so long to get this into the public domain? And why were we told this morning this information could not be provided? Still so many questions in this poorly managed saga.

Read the latest here…

Andrews reveals Haneef details – National – theage.com.au

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Can’t really do much about that, eh? WEE do not trust this Government to make an objective assessment about this evidence, given the extreme prejudice they have shown in the case to date. Just who in this debacle has demonstrated ‘bad character’?

Please see this link for more…

Andrews to keep Haneef details under wraps | NEWS.com.au

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From the start of this saga, WEE had given the Government the benefit of the doubt. Maybe there really was something that the AFP had on Haneef. WEE were content, despite the uneasiness of the continued extensions of Haneef’s detention, to let the AFP do their job and trust that the judicial review of the case would ensure a reasonable outcome. But then it started…

Government ministers couldn’t help themselves, commenting on the case. Ruddock, Downer, Andrews and Howard just couldn’t keep their mouths shut. This wasn’t for the benefit of the case, it was to try and draw the opposition out – to try and get a rise from Rudd. And the longer Rudd resisted the more bits and pieces of information dribbled out. That was until it became apparent that the AFP had made some errors in the investigation.

Mick Keelty blames the time zone difference between Australia and the UK for some of the confusion. Good grief, its 2007 not 1807. However, when push came to shove and they had to make some charge against Haneef to justify all the carry on surrounding the case, the judicial system operated as it should and granted bail to the accused.

This is where things started to go off the rails and the Government really started to overstep its power. Kevin Andrews, a grubby character if ever there was one, and a committed Christian, decided that based on some evidence that only the AFP and he have been privy to (and which seems to be the only piece of evidence not leaked to the press!) he would revoke Haneef’s working visa. This truly was an act of a complete bastard. A mean, nasty and vicious act – and an act that was political in its motive.

And make no mistake, this was not an act that Andrews dreamed up all by himself. This one has all the hallmarks of a classic Howard maneuver. Try and win a political point over Labor under the guise of anti-terror laws. They have used this time and time again. And unfortunately for the Gold Coast registrar Haneef, he was in the way, and disposable (and deportable).

What they didn’t count on was the whole AFP case unravelling quite so badly. Unravelling to the point that the DPP had to drop the charges against Haneef.

If the Coalition had been able to resist their insatiable desire for a political wedge to damage Rudd, they wouldn’t be in this mess. If they had let the AFP do their job without the running commentary. If Haneef could have waited patiently for the case against him to be dropped after investigation, then none of this grandstanding would have been necessary. None of this visa nonsense would be necessary and the whole thing could have been a shining demonstration of how the terror laws could work – even in the case of an innocent person being detained.

But no, our grubby leaders couldn’t let that happen. And it begs the question. Did they really introduce the terror laws to protect Australia? Or did they introduce them to create the circumstances for political show trials? Show trials designed to keep the community in fear? Show trials to try and goad the opposition into questioning their outrageous treatment of any poor bugger that gets detained on flimsy or false evidence?

These are the questions we should reflect back on these men who think nothing of dragging Haneef through mud. Of course they will squeal like stuck pigs that this article is written by someone soft on terror, that WEE haven’t seen the evidence against Haneef, that WEE would prefer to see someone get killed in a terror attack that protect the nation. What rot.

WEE cannot stop asking these questions. The veil of suspicion must fall on the Howard government. It is they who have betrayed our trust in this case. It is they who have behaved in the most appalling way. It is they who are threatening the national security of this country through their abuse and disregard for natural justice and common law.

Do not let Andrews cast further suspicion onto Haneef as he tried to do by commenting on the haste with which the poor doctor left the country last night. Rather let us reflect on the haste with which Andrews made his decisions about this case, and the suspicion this arouses about the Government’s motives for such actions. Get suspicious about everything this Government has done and will do in the future under the guise of terror laws and ‘protecting’ Australia.

Question their utterances, now matter how Downer extreme. Question their actions. For in our view these are not the actions of men with the countries interest at heart – this are men who are acting in their own self-interest, and in the interest of maintaining power.

And finally, can WEE just make the observation that the quiet dignity and grace that Haneef has shown since his release stands in stark contrast to the hysterics of the grubby men who pretend they are protecting Australia.

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Now WEE have cautioned before on any early triumphalism over the excellent polls that Labor has been experiencing since Rudd’s elevation to Opposition Leader. We still would caution but even WEE have to admit that the results are starting to look sticky. And the stickier the polls look, the more Howard tries to throw some mud that will stick on Rudd.

To date that strategy seems to be an abysmal failure. First Brian Burke, then his childhood memories, a couple of other things we can’t recall, and finally Therese Rein, his wife. All of this mud, all of this hot air, and Labor remains high in the polls.

So what is going on? It seems that history is repeating itself. Howard is sounding suspiciously like Keating in the last months of his government. Tired old lines like you change government and you change the country – well, duh! I think people get that. Other lines like Rudd and Labor don’t have enough experience in government to govern – well, that’s a neat formula for a one-party state. And these lines were all tried by Keating to no effect. What should be concerning Liberal back-benchers more is this sense of history repeating itself.

The government is falling into all the same old traps of other governments on their way out. It’s extraordinary that people who have been in politics as long as John Howard has don’t recognise these signs – or maybe they do and they just don’t have any other way to respond.

Whatever the case, if the polls don’t have some shift in them soon a change of government may become a self-fulfilling prophecy. What’s very interesting is a recent poll (can’t remember whose) showing a significant majority of voters now think that Labor will win the election. Of all the polls this one should be the most concerning for the Coalition – most people are countenancing a change and that builds a momentum all its own.

From a purely personal perspective, WEE are particularly enjoying seeing Howard squirm. We enjoyed it immensely in the early part of the Latham experiment, and WEE are really enjoying the extended play version that Rudd is delivering. Rudd’s performance in the Parliament yesterday was very telling – he looked calm and measured, Howard on the other hand looked rattled and lost.

He should have gone when he had the chance last year, but as ever, Howard’s own selfishness (he loves the trappings of power) and vindictiveness (anyone but Costello) were more prominent in that decision than his oft-voiced ‘what’s best for the nation’ hubris.

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Well the sentence in the David Hicks case has been brought down. This terrible, dangerous man, who was caught consorting with terrorists, hanging with Osama, and providing material support to terrorists will serve nine months in prison in Adelaide.

Gosh, the case against him must have been compelling for this result. Hardly a case of do the crime, do the time. It doesn’t seem the crime was very serious after all.

Bush, Howard and all their cronies should hang their collective heads in shame. The serious and terrible crimes of which he was accused (that we never really got to the bottom of) were worth a measly nine months in jail? Are they serious? Seven years was pleaded down to nine months?

Can we get these fools away from the levers of government? They really don’t deserve them. [more]

Janet Albrechtsen and the rest of the Howard cheer squad were out in force late last week, misrepresenting the views of many people who were more concerned about justice than his guilt or otherwise. But all of us have apparently got ‘egg on our faces’ because Hicks pleaded guilty. Well they must be suffering a bit of egg blowback tonight! This dangerous man they have all be demonising for the last five years will be walking among us early in 2008.

How will we protect ourselves from such danger? WEE are astonished that Howard can, in the light of this result, stand with his straight, serious face on and tell us that due process has been observed and justice has run its course.

WEE mentioned that it was a sad chapter in Australian history earlier this week. Well, it’s starting to descend into farce. WEE only hope the electorate can see through this sham.

Either the man is a dangerous terrorist (the government position) who deserves to be locked up behind bars for a long time, or he was a naive adventurer (the rather extreme left view) who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and so was only guilty of misadventure… which WEE don’t think is a crime.

Gosh, when is this farce going to end? Now we have to wait until early next year (and after the election… how convenient) to really hear what Hicks is all about. And of course it will be dragged on and on in the media. Couldn’t they have put us all out of our misery and released him now? Then it could all be over in a couple of weeks, or at least the real issue in all of this could have been brought into focus, the role the Australian government played in colluding with the Americans to lock Hicks up without trial for five years.

Alas, the media will now be clamouring over each other to court Hicks for his story over the next 9-12 months. And the distraction of these media games will ensure that Howard and his government avoids any awkward questions about his disgraceful handling of the Hicks case from the day he was apprehended by the Americans.

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