Envoy: Australia Won't Send More Troops ( drafty in here....

[Noordam]

AP News

November 19, 2003
Envoy: Australia Won't Send More Troops
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 7:01 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Australia's defense minister said Wednesday that his country does not plan to send more troops to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Defense minister Robert Hill said between 850 and 900 Australian troops are working in and around Iraq, and only a few are in Afghanistan.

``Our contribution is commensurate with our size and responsibility,'' Hill said at a Pentagon news conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. ``I think we're doing our bit.''

Hill, who recently returned from a visit to Iraq, said the U.S.-led coalition needs to remain in Iraq to ensure stability.

....more at article....

[david_vincent]

1. During Vietnam the Aussie labor unions

caused a bunch of trouble in protest against their involvement (Australia sent some troops). The last thing they want is to have unions closing their ports again.

[gratuitous]

2. Uh oh, now Oz is making a bid to join the Axis of Evil

Golly, how many countries is that now that suddenly have to wash their hair or their car got a flat tire or their uniforms didn't come back from the cleaners when Lil George comes mooching around for some more manpower to help him prosecute his illegal invasion? Turkey, Japan, Australia, and so on and so forth. I wonder if the message is sinking into his little peanut brain yet?

Lil George really likes fightin' wars. Wonder where he's going to get the troops from? Hey, close that window, I feel a draft!

[Mal]

3. No, if Bush came seriously asking,

his little "special friend" Johnny Howard would see what he could do. But we've got an election in the wind, too, and Bush probably wouldn't want to cut his number of lapdogs-in-office by half in one fell swoop. Besides, we're doing our part just by lending some semblance of legitimacy to this war-crime.

[JohnyCanuck]

4. Paul Martin better continue to keep Canada to hell out of this mess too.--

I just hope Canada's new PM, Paul Martin, doesn't get sucked into Duyba's Iraqi briar patch in an effort to smooth over Boy George's hurt feelings after Canada told him to sit on it and rotate when we were invited to the original Iraqi invasion, flower throwing and street dancing party.

There's been much speculation that the minute Martin takes over from Chretien as the new PM on December 12th, he will be hot to trot to make his first official visit outside Canada a kiss and makeup visit to the Boy King in Washington.