And it's not about global climate change ...
"I would also note that we [the US] have close to 140,000 troops in Iraq and my understanding is Mr Howard has deployed 1400."So if he is ... to fight the good fight in Iraq, I would suggest that he calls up another 20,000 Australians and send them to Iraq, otherwise it's just a bunch of empty rhetoric."
It took John Howard's undiplomatic meddling in US domestic politics to provoke a US politician to draw attention to Australia's small contribution to the Iraqi war effort.
This small level of military involvement is 'the elephant in the room' that neither side of local politics wants to notice. The conservatives aren't about to admit that Australia's contribution doesn't match their rhetoric, and those against the war (thankfully) aren't going to draw attention to a fact that may well provoke the establishment into committing more troops.
Until now, the US has gratefully acknowledged any support provided by coalition partners. We now know that some in the US government have indeed noticed the difference between the tough talking of Howard, Downer and Co, and their willingness to commit Australian military resources.
