John Howard Suffers Humiliating Defeat In Australian Elections

Bush Loses Number One Iraq War Ally, NeoCon Influence Down Under Comes To An End

Ghosts Of The Iraq War Follow Prime Minister To The Polls

By Darryl Mason

Australia has a new prime minister today, and President Bush has lost his most devoted ally in the Iraq War.

Bush once called John Howard his "deputy sheriff" in the Pacific. It's not a nickname that Bush will be able to slap on Labor leader Kevin Rudd, who has experienced one of the fastest rises to power in political history.

Rudd only became leader of the Australian opposition government less than a year ago, but from day one of his leadership he had John Howard's number, promising to "mess with Howard's mind". He won early support for committing to a withdrawal of Australian troops from Iraq and to pull back from the disquietingly close relationship Howard shared with Bush.

John Howard swept his Liberal Party into a fourth term in 2004, with massive support from the Australian public. In only 36 months, millions of Australians have turned their back on Howard, as the scandals, lies and controversies surrounding the Iraq War, and the 'War On Terror' continued to mount.

One of the most damaging, and shocking, of all the revelations came in late 2006, when it was revealed John Howard had ignored, literally, dozens of memos from Australian soldiers and public servants in Iraq who had repeatedly tried to warn him that the Australian authority dealing with shipments of wheat to Iraq through the late 1990s and early 2000s were paying massive bribes to Saddam Hussein. It total, more than $300 million of dirty money helped to prop up the brutal dictator, and supplied him with cash to pay the families of Palestinian suicide bombers, build palaces and keep his military and Republican Guard paid and in arms.

Howard lied numerous times about when he first committed Australian troops to the Iraq War, after President Bush asked him to do so. While Howard continued to claim he had made no commitment at all about sending Australian troops into the warzone, as late as only a few hours before the first bombs of the 'Shock And Awe' campaign began to level buildings, many Australian soldiers were told in August 2002 that they were going to war, and they should prepare themselves and their families.

Most of the facts about when Howard decided to fully back Bush's War On Iraq only came to light after Howard was re-elected in 2004.

The new Australian prime minister, Kevin Rudd, is committed to withdrawing all of Australia's combat forces from Iraq in 2008, around 600 troops.

While the Saddam bribes scandal and the War On Iraq did not feature heavily during election debates, or in the media coverage, it's clear Howard's close relationship with President Bush, his continued backing for the War On Iraq, and his endless refusal to admit he was partly responsible for the hell unleashed on the Iraqi people, was symptomatic in killing off his support base.

John Howard's massive and humiliating defeat in the elections yesterday brings to an end his 11 year reign as Australia's leader, and a career in politics stretching back more than three decades.

Remarkably, most Australians still know little about their new prime minister, though they are clearly impressed with the Kevin Rudd they've seen so far.

The NeoCon influence on Australian politics and society, rammed into our normally easy-going, peaceful and "fair go for all" culture by Howard and Bush's influence, is set to come to an end.

Hopefully.