No charges laid yet over AWB. How convenient! 

Alex Mitchell writes: 

This Saturday, federal election day, marks the first anniversary of the completion of Commissioner Terence Cole QC's report into the AWB kickbacks scandal which saw $300 million in bribes passed to Saddam Hussein's Iraqi regime.  

Look out - here they come again!  

Bush & Buckshot are riding their little stick horses, waving the bloody flag of 9/11, demonizing another Muslim nation, shouting warnings about weapons of mass destruction, bellowing for regime change, and generally trying to whoop up a new war.  

John Howard will enter the final week of the election campaign well behind his rival, after a new poll of the government's most marginal seats showed the coalition has failed to gain ground on Labor. 

On a two-party-preferred basis, the coalition slipped one percentage point to 46 per cent, the Newspoll in The Australian newspaper shows. The coalition now trails Labor by eight points. 

'The allegations raised by Pearse are not easily dismissed . . . because of his pedigree and because of his access this is a book that could do considerable damage' (Chris Hammer – The Bulletin) 

The most senior British intelligence official, appointed yesterday to oversee MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, has a website revealing his home address, phone numbers and private photographs of himself, family and friends. 

Alex Allan, 56, is the new head of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) with access to sensitive documents and information regarding anti-terrorist operations. 

The deputy leader of pork-barrelling, Mark Vaile, has criticised the Audit Office for making public its 1200 page audit of the Regional Partnerships Program, a claim Labor called "an outrageous slur" on the independence of the Auditor-General. 

On Remembrance Day 2007 – Veterans Day in America – the great and the good bowed their heads at the Cenotaph. Generals, politicians, newsreaders, football managers and stock-market traders wore their poppies. Hypocrisy was a presence. 

No one mentioned Iraq.  

Labor fudging election figures: Minchin 

The federal Coalition says its tally of Labor's election promises proves the Opposition is no more economically conservative than the Government. 

Bush Vetoes Major Domestic Spending Measure 

from Crikey ….. 

A world class exhibition of weaselling 

Mungo MacCallum writes: 

Howard rejects inflation concerns 

Prime Minister John Howard has spent much of the day fending off questions about whether his election promises will fuel inflation. 

Mr Howard announced more than $9 billion worth of promises yesterday at the Coalition campaign launch in Brisbane. 

A high profile terror case was abandoned before it got to trial today after a judge found that two ASIO officers had kidnapped and falsely imprisoned a young medical student, Izhar ul-Haque. 

Mr ul-Haque's lawyer, Adam Houda, later accused authorities of launching a politically motivated and "moronic prosecution" against his client.