As I listened to the debate between the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition about the war in Iraq, I was reminded of a quote I had seen many years ago. I couldn’t remember it accurately, nor who had written it. What I did remember was that it referred to a balance between courage and wisdom. The former has figured prominently in the debate between the two leaders. The latter, not at all.
The debate between Howard and Rudd was, as is well known, sparked by Howard’s condemnation of Democratic Presidential hopeful, Barack Obama, who has pledged the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq should he be elected President. Howard said that Senator Obama’s position would give comfort to the terrorists – that the terrorists would be hoping that a Democrat would win the forthcoming Presidential election and will mark March 2008, the date by which Obama would withdraw troops, on their calendars. The election of a Democratic President would be a win for the terrorists, the Australian Prime Minister was suggested.
Rudd and his party were appalled, or so they said, that Howard had intervened in another country’s domestic electoral process. Senator Obama challenged the Prime Minister. If he was serious about the need not to withdraw from Iraq, to increase Australia’s presence there. After all, the US is increasing its troop numbers by 20,000.
The Prime Minister refused to back down — he had already made a gaffe on climate change the week before — and instead went on the offensive. He said that the opposition leader did not have the guts to stick it out in Iraq. He said that Rudd was gutless because he would not address the consequences of an early withdrawal from Iraq. In a moment of — as they say in sporting parlance — deja vu again, it was suggested that the Labor leader, like his predecessor, had no 'ticker'.
Rudd responded by challenging Howard to outline his strategy for winning the war in Iraq. It was Howard, and not Rudd, or so the opposition leader claimed, who lacked 'guts and courage.'
That there is something of a debate on Iraq is welcome. During the last Federal election campaign the Iraq war was the issue that no-one dared mention. Then Labor leader, Mark Latham, had promised, apparently without real thought or consultation, to bring Australian troops home from Iraq by Christmas.