Sounds like Boot is doing the same thing many conservative Australian commentators are doing at the moment - jumping on anything that offers them a glimmer of hope.

You have to feel sorry for the poor sods. It must be awful hard work to maintain their illusions about Iraq, China, American exceptionalism and the downright infallibility of neo-conservatism with so much going against them.

Democracy is a hazardous business for the mighty. More power to it.

Those damned Yankees, saved everyone's backsides in a couple of world wars, stood up to those paragons of psychopathy Stalin and Mao, and now, curse them, are not going to lie down before a mob of murderers who have stated their goal to destroy the freedoms we here in the west take for granted.
It's my understanding that the neo-cons grew from a bunch of left-wing academics in the U.S.ofA. I don't know much about them beyond their staunch belief that democracy can be willed on others by force if necessary.
Anyone got more on them?
DEMOS, what is your utopian dream?

I think you are a bit off the mark with this Yanks to the rescue, they only have to consider, there is no ironclad guarntee that they will defend us.
When it all boils down they will do what is in their best interests.
If for political or economic reasons they don't want offend our opponents they will do nothing.
So humping their leg will be useless, Canada and Mexico don't blindly follow neither should we.

Who truly cares what America thinks? a country that has twice elected a man not unlike the father of Bart Simpson?
There has to be more to the anti Labor plans than to constantly try to find something to dislike about Rudd.
Rudd is on the way to a historic victory and history will record him with far more kindness than Bush's foolish friend John Howard.

So glad that the US approves, I was actually quite worried. Now that I am assured that they will continue to treat us as well under Labor as we were under Liberal, I look forward to the next FTA.

Let's get a few things straight. (1) Australia went to war in Iraq because they need to have the US on side for (a) trade and (b) defence purposes. The ALP would have done just what the Coalition did but, conveniently for them, they did not have to take the decision.
(2) The ALP will pull us out when they get the nod from the US.
(3) China is bankrupt but still wields enormous power so we will continue to prop it up in our own interests (remember if China sneezes it is the rest of the world which catches cold).
(4) For all the fancy talk about "climate change policies" from the ALP they will also have to deal with the economic consequences - and Australians have not yet shown any desire to lower their standard of living to introduce the necessary changes and the same is true of the Americans.
I don't imagine the Washington neo-cons care much who is in power in Australia. They will still be able to do things the way they want to do them - and Kevin Rudd will find out he can do nothing about it.