Reasons to go to war,

#1.Weapons of mass destruction

#2.Saddam.

#3.Alliance with US important to our national security.

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#1. Not yet located

#2. Eliminated

#3. Obsolete according to Howard. We were only an ally to Bush it seems.

So now why do we stay in the war.?

Because it is a failure and if we pull out now we may look like a failure.?

I do think Howard needs to explain to Australians why he wants to keep this war going. He has become arrogant believing we should stay committed because he says so. We took his word before and it was wrong. We are at war with who? not sure but even if we dont know the enemy we should at least know why.

Things will get worse if we withdraw? How can they get worse?

He should have engaged Áustralians with more detailed reasoning about Obama's bill, so we could see reasons instead of ego.

'Saddam has weapons of mass destruction. You only have to read reports in the New Scientist to understand that.' Or words to that effect.

Kevin Rudd to the Zionist Council of Australia sometime before the invasion and he hadn't access to any intelligence reports and at a later time the ALP did not vote for the war.

I'm somewhat confused... did he have a bob each way, change his mind, or forget? So what is Rudd's position on Iraq...now...does anybody know?

Rudd is trying to hide his position knowing fullwell there is widespread opposition to the war, certainly around 60percent. His predicament is to appeal to the majority saying something popular whilst his allegience goes to the minority - big money.
The democrats have a similar problem in the US trying to muster some credibility with massive opposition from the voters whilst the Democrats support war. They imply the problem is one of bad management and bad tactics etc., The democrats have supported all the funding for the military whilst making some mealy mouth protestations - in case the voters are listening.
Mr. Rudd belongs to the faction in the Labor Party known as the right wing, the open agents of the capitalists, the banks, oil cartels etc., but Rudd has to tread carefully so that he is not seen as on the side of big money.

Could it be that New Scientist didn't have enough weapons inspectors to actually realise that there weren't WMD's. So Mr Rudd's source was as flawed as Johnnies. EXCEPT Johnnies (as PM) would have been military intelligence of a far more detailed nature and therefore should have been more accurate.

It doesn't say much for military intelligence when they get it totally wrong. BUT worse - USA, British & Australian military intelligence ALL got it wrong!

A person in opposition doesn't have anywhere near the access to the information that a Govt minister or Prime Minister has.

So Rudd's source was wrong... big deal... the greater worry is that our puppet leader and most of our intelligence community swallowed the garbage hook, line and sinker and committed our troups to a war based on flawed and corrupt evidence.

If we choose to go to war based on such unbelievably weak evidence what is to stop another country doing the same? Why couldn't a large nation that wanted our Uranium & Coal say Pine Gap has WMD's and invade Australia?

The Yanks couldn't save us... they couldn't even help their own in the Hurricane Katrina debacle.

Howard has put Australia & our kids at far greater risk than any other PM and he should be held accountable!

" ... Howard has put Australia & our kids at far greater risk than any other PM and he should be held accountable! ... "

Indeed, but then what ought we expect from a despicable individual who "Knowingly & deliberately inflicts mental harm on innocent children Asylum Seekers."

Indonesian Islamic clerics have said to me, for reasons such as supporting the anglo/american alliance on issues such as economic piracy, illegal wars, illegal use of WMD's during same & the deliberate slaughter of civilians whilst fighting "opposition combatants," we Ozzies have been attacked & are highly likely to be attacked again.

I agree with *Minister MidNight Oil* - howard et al's alliance with g.w.bush Turkey et al puts us further @ risk & until such time as they are tried for their crimes & agree to abide by International Law, they should b shown the door & classified as a "Rogue State."

The american militants especially are nigh on universally despised by even moderate Muslims & their presence does little more than to perpetuate hatred & bloodshed in Iraq.

The war is already lost in my view and already a humanitarian disaster - one which will only be resolved by a complete withdrawal in all haste, to be replaced perhaps by a very temporary Islamic Peace Keeping force.

In todays "Whacky Races," whilst the *Sunni's & Shia* have their own squabbles, everyone gets extra points for killing *Dastardly* aka englund & *Muttley* aka america.

...Adam...

John Howard has done so much for this country. We are now a leading World Power on the World Stage. Now that Gordon Brown has deserted George W Bush our John W Howard is now the second in command this is something to be proud of. Shoulder to shoulder on the world stage at the APEC meeting. I must say the New South Wales Lobor Party has gone over the top with Security after all who would want to assasinate George and Johnny they are adored and respected by all. Two top Statesmen the best since Eisenhower and Robert Menzies. I blame the Labor Party for giving Osama Bin Laden hope by threatening to pull out of Iraq. We now have an ally that has years of oil which will benefit our industry and travel. The invasion of Iraq was shrewd economics. We are fortunate that America voted for George W Bush and not Al Gore because if Al Gore was elected industry would have to be regulated cutting back on pollution. This is what our country cannot afford to happen.