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| Down Under |
| Obama no-show gives Rudd leverage |
| 2010-03-20 |
| It's the usual brilliant Obama foreign policy: stiff your friends and appease your enemies ... THE Rudd government has been handed political ammunition to resist US pressure for more troops in Afghanistan after Barack Obama cancelled his visit next week, it was claimed yesterday. Assuming that's what Rudd wants to do ... The White House confirmed that the President's trip had been postponed to June because of a domestic wrangle over health reform that has forced him to stay in Washington. The delay in Mr Obama's trip was the second in a week. He faces a backlash from close observers of the US relationship with Australia, including White House supporters, who question whether Mr Obama is demonstrating his commitment to its close ally and the Asia-Pacific region. Mr Obama had previously criticised his predecessor, George W. Bush, for ignoring the region. Kevin Rudd said yesterday he was "pretty relaxed" after Mr Obama telephoned to inform him that the trip had been called off. "He'd like to have a more relaxed visit than the 24-hour whip in, whip out that the last one had come down to," the Prime Minister said on the Seven Network. Walter Lohman, Asia policy expert for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think tank, said Mr Obama had given up the chance to press Australia for an increased commitment of troops in Afghanistan. Mr Lohman said the US President could have requested that Australia take the command role of the departing Dutch in Oruzgan province. The Rudd government has claimed it is not in a position to take over from The Netherlands and intends to keep troop numbers at 1550 after boosting Australia's contribution by 40 per cent last year. "The Australians could be forgiven some coolness to American needs in Afghanistan in response to the President's cancellation," Mr Lohman said. "I mean, if the President of the United States can't pull himself away from Washington long enough to personally request that they stretch themselves in Afghanistan, I don't know how he can ask Prime Minister Rudd to stick his own neck out politically." Patrick Cronin, senior adviser on Asian affairs with the Centre for a New American Security, said the delay in Mr Obama's trip to June was a "setback" for re-engagement with the Asia-Pacific, pointing out also that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had cancelled her trip last month following the Haiti earthquake. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #2 The Aussies are due for an election next spring. What's Rudd's party's chances for staying in control? |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2010-03-20 11:16 |
| #1 Worse than Carter. Seriously: now it's Jimmah who's getting upset about being compared to Obama rather than v-v. Unbelievable. |
| Posted by: lex 2010-03-20 00:20 |