I see Right Blogistan is speaking up for the rights of foreigners to interfere in American politics. How … cosmopolitan of them!
And of course they’re right that it would be terrible to have a President with the guts to speak up for himself when attacked. If Barack Obama wants to prove his fitness for the White House, he’d better practice acting like a doormat.
Just for the record, though: Obama’s spokesman didn’t call John Howard a “chickenhawk.” He pointed out that Australia has about 1% of soldiers in Iraq. He didn’t point out what is also true: that the Aussies aren’t doing even 1% of the killing and dying. So far they’ve lost one soldier, in a barracks shooting. If John Howard is so eager to fight the terrorists in Iraq, why doesn’t he have his soldiers actually, y’know, fighting the terrorists in Iraq?
Answer: it would be as much as his political life was worth. Howard may fear a victory for al Qaeda in Iraq, but not nearly as he fears a victory for the Labor Party in Australia.