[naturalman1975]

I really recommend the reading of the whole article.

[wastedyears]

US, Canada, El Salvador, UK, France, Poland, Japan, Israel and Australia - one big happy family.

[Greg F]

Good article. The bottom line for me is that the U.S.A. should defend Australia and Australia should support the U.S.A. because we share the same core values on all levels. Forget interest calculations and real politic in the particular moment . . . if your friend is a jerk in a bar and starts getting pounded on . . . you don’t just let them get pounded. You jump in and help them.

[Gay State Conservative]

Actions speak louder than words.Yes,Mr Rudd's words regarding Afghanistan are very gratifying.But his quick withdrawal of troops from Iraq suggests an appalling lack of understanding of what's really at stake in the war against the 9th Century death cult called I Slam.

It's obviously true that Australia is a small country and,therefore,cannot reasonably be expected to provide thousands and thousands of troops or millions and millions of dollars to the WOT.But as a modern western democracy she can be expected to provide some troops to each and every front of that war.

Today,Europe is ruled,by and large,by spineless cowards.There are many spineless cowards here in the US.I don't know enough about Mr Rudd to definitively declare him to be a coward but what I do know about him suggests that he could well be exactly that.

I'm open to being convinced otherwise by naturalman or other Aussies....if anyone should attempt so to do.