Meanwhile nine years on, Australian troops in constant danger, remain trapped in the corrupt and hellish environment that is Afghanistan, and for what? Both the Government and the Opposition need to tell the Americans that they are wrong about Afghanistan. A good sensible ally would – and should.
Mr Rudd’s one man band approach to leadership, failure to accept responsibility for program implementation mistakes, policy flip flops, ongoing personal anger management problems, and his contribution to what has become a dispirited public service, meant that Rudd’s failure as a leader has been the main reason for his political fall from grace.
At 10.20 pm EST, Wednesday 23rd June 2010 the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced that his leadership would be challenged by his deputy Julia Gillard at a specially convened meeting of Federal Labor Party representatives at 9am Thursday, at Parliament House in Canberra ACT.
At least the exposure of this imposter will end his masquerading days of posing as a Vietnam veteran. However the people of Connecticut who would have preferred another Democratic candidate can at least take heart.
In her new shoot from the hip role in the media and by commenting via her ghostwritten website, she has been carefully positioned to avoid intelligent debate. However she is no fool. Knowing her own limitations, when the time comes, there is absolutely no chance she will risk her newly discovered financial windfall and bonanza, by attempting to run in 2012.
Residents need only to visit the Florida coast over the next few days and weeks to witness courtesy of BP, the horror of crude oil devastation as it floods their pristine coastline on the back of each new tide. Some good may result if it causes people to pause and reflect after witnessing first hand the obscenity of runaway oil as it delivers a slow and suffocating black death to helpless creatures of the natural world, while slicking atop pristine waters en route to rendering beaches and shores virtually uninhabitable.
Throughout 2009, it had become obvious to many supporters and others, that Barack Obama in his first year as President, did not seem to appreciate the difference in leadership style and application between that of being a successful candidate and those skills requisite to becoming a successful leader and President. It must have come as a shock and obviously it took time to absorb. When Obama finally got the message, he realised he was to going to have to learn and adjust quickly. His Presidency was heading towards a cliff. This was no rehearsal. The future of Healthcare reform was already poised on a knife edge, and along with it, was his future.
In this setting Mr Obama was in his element due to his exceptional ability to make an argument based on his encyclopaedic knowledge of the subject matter. It was really no contest – and one quickly had the feeling that Republicans knew they were dead ducks from the outset. The President treated his guests with the utmost courtesy. Even allowing the meeting to go overtime to ensure that Republicans had no reason for complaint. They complained anyway – but left it until after the meeting to whine to the media. Some things never change.
As the Healthcare debate enters its final days, President Obama must take an uncompromising stand on the absolute necessity for the inclusion of a Healthcare public option to reduce costs and create real competition in the marketplace. Any repeat of his earlier failure to lead on this critical issue will make it extremely difficult to keep his supporters motivated and cause real problems for Democrats wishing to retain their seats in November.
Meanwhile people are still waiting.Their unrealized hopes kept alive as a token of their faith in their President. President Obama says he will never give up. In response, his supporters should remind him that they will never let up. He wanted the job, they gave it to him, he made the promises, they will hold him to them. Mr President, it is time to deliver. Americans needs to get on with building their future.