from Crikey…..

Christian Kerr writes:

John Howard has today unveiled his biggest election weapon – incumbency.

It doesn’t matter what Kevin Rudd puts on the table – education, water, whatever. If he wants to, the PM can trump it.

‘President George W. Bush concluded his annual State of the Union address this week with the words “the State of our Union is strong … our cause in the world is right … and tonight that cause goes on.” Maybe so, but the state of the Bush administration is at its worst yet, according to the latest NEWSWEEK poll. The president’s approval ratings are at their lowest point in the poll’s history—30 percent—and more than half the country (58 percent) say they wish the Bush presidency were simply over, a sentiment that is almost unanimous among Democrats (86 percent), and is shared by a clear majority (59 percent) of independents and even one in five (21 percent) Republicans. Half (49 percent) of all registered voters would rather see a Democrat elected president in 2008, compared to just 28 percent who’d prefer the GOP to remain in the White House.’

from the ABC …..

Abbott says Rudd uses religion politically

Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott has accused Labor leader Kevin Rudd of using religion for political purposes.

He was speaking to the Young Liberal Federal Convention in Melbourne this morning.

The fratboy & his co-conspirators continue to act as provocateurs.

The United States of fascism accuses Iran of arms trafficking in support of Iraqi “insurgents” (who maybe just consider themselves freedom fighters, given the ongoing occupation of their country by bushit, blair & their corporate oil thieves?) & seize three Iranian diplomats. Whilst the US says that “charges” against the Iranians will be made public “soon”, this must be considered doubtful, given the Americans normal propensity to go public immediately with the wildest accusations on the slightest pretext. The Iranian diplomats are no more than hostages & their seizure is a deliberate provocation.

"What should we call someone who believes the government is above the law, that opinion should be standardised, that majorities are born to rule, that minorities endanger social cohesion? [Perhaps] un-Australian?"

Donald Horne

‘Just five days after the September 11th attacks in 2001, in a Q and A with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, a President with a new mission, a new cause, and a new purpose in life told the American people that, though they had to "go back to work tomorrow," they should now know that they were facing a "new kind of evil." He added, "And we understand. And the American people are beginning to understand. This crusade, this war on terrorism is going to take a while."

‘America’s dry drunk of a president knows diddlysquat about, and lacks respect for history, economics, and the normal folk like you and me. What he does know and respect is how to cheat, lie and connive his way towards being the big man in the frat house.

I’ve got news for Frat Boy. The White House is not a Delta Kappa Epsilon outpost let alone its head office.

‘In September 2006, the Attorney-General went to Washington to discuss revised military arrangements for the trial of suspects such as Mr Hicks. It was reported widely that these allowed evidence obtained through coercion to be admitted at trial. On his return to Australia, Mr Ruddock told the ABC’s “Insiders” program that sleep deprivation should be permitted as “coercion” rather than torture. He was immediately challenged by the National President of the RSL (who said it could certainly be torture), the Chief of the Australian Defence Force, and Federal Police Commissioner Keelty who said sleep deprivation was illegal for use by AFP officers, and amounted to “unfair tactics”.

‘The President took us into this war recklessly.  He disregarded warnings from the national security adviser during the first Gulf War, the chief of staff of the army, two former commanding generals of the Central Command, whose jurisdiction includes Iraq, the director of operations on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and many, many others with great integrity and long experience in national security affairs.  We are now, as a nation, held hostage to the predictable – and predicted – disarray that has followed. 

‘London, England - The image of the United States has deteriorated around the world in the past year because of issues such as Iraq and prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, according to a poll by the BBC World Service released on Tuesday."

The proportion of people believing the United States has a mainly positive influence in world affairs dropped seven points from a year ago -- to 29 percent from 36, the results from 18 countries that were also polled the previous year showed.

Bush's neo-conservative doctrine seeks to apply Straussian philosophy to the unfettered pursuit of US energy interests. Its unspoken motto: "perpetual war for perpetual peace." The rough idea – and the idea is, indeed, rough – is to play this century's Great Game (first prize: control of Mid-east oil supply) under the banner of national security.

‘Just days after the Rev. Pat Robertson claimed on his “700 Club” program that God warned him of “mass killings” in the U.S. late in 2007, God held a rare press conference today to deny having spoken to the controversial televangelist.

For the usually publicity-shy King of the Universe, the press conference held at the Chicago Airport Marriott signalled a sharp break with tradition.

Craig Rowley and I wrote this piece for Webdiary last week- that was before the Halliburton connection was announced. Get this under your belt and I'll be back with the rest soon:

Gerard Ryle, an award winning investigative journo currently working for the SMH, has been breaking a most intriguing story about the rise of a man with a magic mystery pill, how he and his little fuel booster firm, Firepower, shoots for the stars and the way Austrade doles out our money to the pill man's secretive firm.

‘In one of the most chilling public statements ever made by a U.S. Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales questioned whether the U.S. Constitution grants habeas corpus rights of a fair trial to every American.

Responding to questions from Sen. Arlen Specter at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Jan. 18, Gonzales argued that the Constitution doesn't explicitly bestow habeas corpus rights; it merely says when the so-called Great Writ can be suspended.