Further to Tim's post below about Iraq, it's worth noting that Australia formally ended combat operations there yesterday. John Howard said he was "baffled" by the move but Brendan Nelson, his successor as Liberal leader, hasn't carried the torch - he's supporting the withdrawal.
Rudd has justified cutting and running by saying the Australian presence in Iraq had increased the risk of terrorism against Australians. How noble of him. *Cough* peace in our time *cough*. It's also been spun as something of a "mission accomplished", emphasising how many Iraqi troops have now been trained by the Australian forces. Well, job done then! At least one Liberal MP, Dennis Jensen, was quoted saying:
"I mean, you have a war that is essentially being won and we're being seen to move out of there. We really should have stayed the entire course."
In response to Tim's post, Malcolm, an opponent of the war, suggested that our troops must therefore not be needed anymore. I think that's too simplistic. When the media focuses on the bad things happening in Iraq whilst avoiding the conclusion that the Coalition therefore needs to redouble its efforts, it's contingent on those who recognise the strategic significance of Iraq to simultaneously highlight the progress that is being made, whilst flying the flag for sticking it out for the long haul.
Sitting comfortably in Civvy Street we must also be careful not to turn a blind eye to what our soldiers have been through in Iraq, and are going through now in Afghanistan. The intensity of some of the operations has been reminiscent of, like, what you see in films and stuff. I'm currently reading Sniper One by Sgt Dan Mills, Platoon Commander of the PWRR's Sniper Platoon in Al Amarah. Here's one of the YouTube videos of their stay at the infamous CIMIC House:
