Over in the States, Defence Secretary Robert M. Gates and Secretary of State Condi Rice are fiercely leaking stories about internal dissent in the administration ranks – on a fairly regular basis. The most recent being their attempts to have Gitmo closed down, blocked by Gonzales and Cheney. Gonzales, of course, will be the next man overboard. Rice, as I’ve argued before, is young and ambitious enough to see herself as still having a career post-Bush. And Gates is probably partly jousting with Cheney and partly trying to avoid being seen as Rumsfeld lite. All this as talk of indictments, and even possibly impeachment, swirls around Washington. What a difference a Democratic Congress with subpoena power makes. The stunning dimensions of casual illegality in the Bush administration are becoming apparent very quickly.
And back here, another troubled right wing government will probably soon start falling apart at the seams.
Tim Dunlop, at Blogocracy, links to an article from Paul Sheehan suggesting that Howard should go. As Tim notes, it’s too late for that. But don’t be at all surprised if, as happened with the Liberals in the Queensland state election, the recriminations start before the election, and the leaks from the Cossie camp suggesting the smirker would be doing better turn into a flood.
Appears that the Stockexchange was also forgotten by a busy Minister. Great economic managers one and all.
Not really rats and shinking ships, but got parallels: Flegg accused of betrayal… of Howard (and not his constituents). Seems Flegg doesn’t like the Goodna bypass, and he’s got the state Liberals in a snit over his admission.
That’s the first good thing I’ve heard about the man.
And while the Libs fight and brawl the Nats are out scooping up a young team to fight them when the internal division stops.
It has always been the Libs who have had the younger people in the past in Queensland but it looks like the Nats are stealing a march on the Libs now.
Good comment Kim, I tend to agree with such a future here
Rooted in apathy
Howard should have jumped ages ago. Tim’s been saying it since Costello’s big non-challenge last year, if the ALP ever got their act into gear (which they seem to have done) then Howard would end up looking like a lame duck.
I think Costello should have a crack at him after the budget. Did I say this on one of your threads last week Kim?
Yep, and we disagreed about it, mick. It’s too late. Cossie would only be leader then for a few months, and anyway, he hasn’t got the ticker.
Thanks Kim, I thought I was sounding a little parrotish writing that comment.
That story about Gates and Rice was something else wasn’t it? I don’t know if I buy the thesis that if Gonzales is ousted that there will be a shift in the power balance of the White House. In the end Bush and Cheney are still holding the reigns and they seem more than perfectly capable of ignoring opinions that they don’t like.
Oh, and a stupid question, if Gonzales is dumped who does the replacement have to be confirmed by?
The Senate, mick.
Noone will challenge Howard before the next election, just as they didn’t before the last. Howard hasn’t lost yet and the ALP still need to pick up a helluva lot of seats. Not impossible given the polls lately, but historically mighty uncommon. The economy is still sailing along which is the big plus for any incumbent. Anyway, any aspirant must know it’s sink or swim with Howard now. That’s Workchoices, Iraq and all, for if Howard were to lose then any new leader can take the new tack necessary. You wouldn’t want to roll Howard now and lose on those policies yourself. No, they are all stuck with the present course, Howard is steering doggedly. 8 months is still a long time in politics as many Howard opponents have found to their dismay.
Obby, Do you mean that they need a miracle like the Tampa? I’m afraid miacles are a bit thin on the ground these days after the exising of half of Australia and the known universe from the Migration Zone. Guess we will just have to settle for an inflationary budget, Interest rate rise and the Workchoices backlash this time.
Don’t know about miracles steve. Tampa was an opportunity to say enough is enough and it was electorally popular as it transpired. There was still a huge international chess game that went on and Howard held his nerve and offshoring began as neighbours stepped in to break a deadlock. Howard stared them all down as you might recall. He clearly thinks he can do it again with iraq and Workchoices and I’m not so sure he can’t. He went to the polls with a GST remember? If diehard Labor supporters were really honest, they’d wish their Party was in the Govt’s position and that’s not just because the have their bums on the seats. There are still 14 seats?? to win back and as candidate slip ups like Tony Zappia’s in Makin has shown, not every marginal seat may succumb to the current polls. I’d put it like this. I’m a Power supporter and like our chances with some fresh talent strutting its stuff pre-season. I’m quietly guffawing at the problems of the WC Eagles right now, but if I were honest, I still like their chances for the flag again over my team. They may win another flag before Howard goes to the polls too remember. That’s because the season proper hasn’t begun yet. We’ll see, but as Brisbane found, it gets harder over time.
And imagine if Labor lose? From what I hear about NSW, that will be a referendum on Workchoices once and for all now won’t it?
Obby, the Libs at this stage are not in the race and are going backwards on a daily basis. Yesterday, in question time Hockey could not answer even the most fundamental questions about workchoices and Howard had to answer for him to cover his backside.
Incompetence showing up at this level is not a good look. Howard had the chance to hand over to Costello last year but couldn’t. He had another chance this year when he had the first reshuffle and bkinked again. Now it is too late and he will go down in history as a failure who was too greeedy to quit while he was ahead. Eleven squandered years will be his legacy to Australia.
Workchoices is just an ideological obsession of Howard’s which is over the top and everybody knows it. Interest rates have mainly come about from inflationary pressure due to the higher oil prices flowing from the Iraq fiasco and poorly targeted tax cuts in successive budgets.
The drought has also had an impact and so far the Federal Government have done very little to help pay for fixing the dwindling water supply to Brisbane.
Housing affordability expressed as increasing rental costs and worsening home ownership affordability have also not been addressed by this government.
So there is much to be done and probably not enough time for them to do much aboout their intractable problems. Open warfare has broken out in the Queensland Liberal factions and it is getting sillier every day.
Voters will not tolerate this level of disunity and while I encourage them to fight at every opportunity, each day means their chances of reelection diminish and this is a good thing. If they can’t govern themselves then they can’t govern Australia and do not desrve to either.
Now we have got a higher Australian dollar and the Current Account figures will be blowing out even more. We are importiing heaps; exporting little. Good economic manager they are not, fools? – definately.
steve, I’m predicting the govt hangs on by a seat or two but Howard loses Bennelong and smirky has to try extra hard to wipe the smirk off as he announces its a dark day for the Libs and he’s taken onboard the voter’s message.
Obby, I’m predicting more of the same rubbish we’ve had for the past eleven years until the voters turn on them.
Well it would appear that govt has cleared up one issue that was supposed to be a real hot election issue steve
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=95654
Could have saved all the usual suspects heaps of handwringing and hair pulling years ago, if he’d only told the truth then.
We’ll have to pay to keep the terrorist mongrel in Yatala now, when the Yanks were doing a perfectly good job of paying to keep him at Gitmo. Overfeeding him by the sounds of it too, in between the torture sessions of course.
A week’s a long time in politics as they say eh steve?.
From Obby’s link above.
I’m amazed if Hicks has indeed pled guilty before knowing the tariff he’s going to cop.
BTW Obby, you’re still weird.
1. Not so long ago Hicks was facing a charge of attempted murder. What was the truth value of that charge, hmmm? Should Hicks have pled guilty to that charge?
2. Maybe Hicks could have been induced to pleading guilty to shooting from the Grassy Knoll. This would have cleared up a very perplexing mystery very neatly for the US authorities.
It’s encouraging that you see the Hicks plea as a victory for the Howard govt Obby, as sure a sign as any that it’ll backfire.
While you & a smattering of small tim acolytes still bang the bully drum, the punters have moved on Obby, all pumped on all justice & a fair go. Stick your head out into the smoko room. It’s 2007, Guantanamo may have been a good idea for a year or two, but it’s been as out-dated as a Howard Vision of the Future for a while now.
When the Herald Sun letters page is regularly choked with letters demanding Hicks gets a fair go, there’s been a crossover Obby old chap.
Make it two issues cleared up Obby but it still fits into any definition of coruption to have Caesar investigating and clearing Caesar. Open,honest, accountable government would be a nice change.
What a heavyduty,tough investigation it was! Neither Santo or Egan got interviewed!