Last week I attended an event featuring our past Foreign Minister Bob Carr talking about his book. I am certainly not one of Bob's biggest fans but I thought it would be interesting to hear from someone who had been particularly open, some make the case to his discredit, about his brief time as Australia's international representative.

Whatever one says about the man it is hard to ever condemn him of being flippant. He took over a dozen questions from the floor and gave quite considered answers to them all.

When asked about the current government he said he has been at pains to not be overtly partisan in his commentary on them since leaving politics but when pressed he offered this observation of Mr Abbott.

'He seems to be a man looking for a war.'

I thought it was stretching the bow a little but he related how it took our defense chiefs nearly three days to talk Abbott out of putting up to 3,000 armed Australian troops on the ground in the Ukraine. When Obama was considering strikes from the air to relieve those trapped on an Iraqi mountain Abbott had already flagged the possibility of Australian troops on the ground.

Still I wasn't convinced and left thinking I would take Bob's observation with a grain of salt.

Then I wake up this morning to read this from the ABC;

“Senator Johnston told ABC's Lateline program that while there is a "long way to go" before any fighter planes could be deployed, Australian forces are in a "high state of readiness".

The impression of 'chomping at the bit' is starting to sink in.

So I'm wondering how concerned Australians should be with this Abbott doctrine which at best could be called international adventurism and at worst alpha male posturing, one that could involve us again in armed conflict on the other side of the world and could cost us dearly in terms of our soldiers lives and millions if not billions of dollars in capital.

Yea Steele and progressives are happy for this to go on.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=808206809213310&fref=nf

''He seems to be a man looking for a war.'
you are sick Steele

SteeleRedux,

In times of bad polls and desperation, shonky govts always reach for the "ACME - We're Under Threat" slash Patriotism button.

It's clear that the Abbott Govt realises it is so on the nose with the electorate, that the only thing that will suffice is Tony strutting around the world like a tiny flea on a large dog attempting to jangle some brass and pretend he's very important in the scheme of things - oh, and he's quite happy to take Australia and it's forces along for the ride for some electoral impetus.

Listening to Question Time the last few days, each day the first three questions from the govt side have been on terrorism, extremism and border protection - allowing Govt Ministers to waffle on ad nauseam on their confected nuance concerning Australia's "vulnerability"

They've got nothing else....they've been comprehensively proven to be a mendacious and shifty bunch and they know they're going to get rolled at the next election.....the only recourse left to them is to beat the war drum and try and convince Australians that the war on terror has been revived and is happily sitting with its feet up in the Cabinet Room.

I'd say the latter, "alpha male posturing" in the service of the LNP re-election campaign....

SteeleRedux, the conservative side of politics has a long history of leading Australia into other peoples wars. They started with the Sudan in about 1885 and are still doing it today in 2014, nothing has changed. Despite the rhetoric of the time, history tends to judge our involvement somewhat more harshly.
When wars around the world are mentioned one name that consistently crops up is Australia, not North Korea or Somali, but Australia. We should be careful we may be getting a reputation as a war mongering nation. Not only is Tony Abbott a man of God, but also a man of peace. a bit like Runner. LOL

So let's see ...at the present time we have hundreds of “Ozzie” Jihadis fighting for terrorist causes around the world and almost certainly tens of thousands of sympathizers in Oz and it is the govt that is confecting Australia's "vulnerability" --and it’s the govt who is seeking to start war!

Progressives really do live in a world of their own,eh

Sick, depraved, delusional & disgusting.