Not too surprising; Cheney isn't very popular in the U. S. either.
Cheney's quagmire mongering is caused by the failure of the American
economy to compete in world markets.
The same thing happened with the Old South. Slavery just didn't work
economically and Southern states thought war would save their way of
life.
They always try to invoke "states' rights" or "homeland security" or
misuse some otherwise real issue, but the root cause is always a dying
economic system caused by despotism.
Bret Cahill
SYDNEY: Vice President ***** Cheney received a less than effusive welcome
during a three-day visit to Australia that ended Sunday, amid lingering
tensions over China and the war in Iraq.
Australia remains one of Washington's strongest allies, but as the country
heads into an election year, Prime Minister John Howard's interaction with
Cheney appeared perfunctory and brief. The Australian leader waited 36 ho=
urs
after the vice president's arrival before meeting him, and even then spar=
ed
Cheney barely an hour of his time before giving a notably short joint news
conference.
"The trip emphasizes the relationship between these governments, and the
Bush administration is much less popular in Australia than the alliance,"
said Michael Fullilove, program director for global issues at the Lowy
Institute, a think tank based in Sydney.
Although a recent survey indicated that 70 percent of Australians think t=
he
alliance with the United States is important to their country's security,
the Bush administration and the war in Iraq are far less popular. The
continuing detention of the Australian citizen David Hicks, who has been
held in Guant=E1namo Bay for more than five years without trial, has also
angered Australians.
Cheney assured Howard that Hicks would be among the first to face the
military tribunals that Washington has created to try non-American suspec=
ts
held as "enemy combatants."
The vice president also said that Australia may redeploy its forces in the
war on terror as it sees fit.
"I want to emphasize that the decision about what Australia does, going
forward, with respect to force levels is a decision for the government of
Australia," Cheney told journalists after his meeting with Howard.
Australia is the only country to have stood alongside the United States in
every major conflict of the 20th and 21st centuries. President George W.
Bush even suggested, embarrassingly, that Australia could play the role of
"deputy sheriff" in Asia.
But Australia's growing economic dependence on China complicates Canberra=
's
traditional relationship with the United States, analysts say.
Chinese industry has become the most important single market for the expo=
rts
of minerals like coal and iron ore that keep the Australian economy afloa=
t=2E
But as Australia strengthens its commercial links with China, Washington =
is
warning that Beijing could become a threat.
"China is now as critical for Australia's economic security and prosperity
as the U.S. is for its military security," Mohan Malik, of the Jonestown
Foundation, said in a recent paper.
Australia's dilemma is a microcosm of that facing Asia more broadly. As
China's economy grows, more and more countries in the region countries are
being sucked away from Washington's influence and into Beijing's orbit. E=
ven
countries like Australia, with all its strong historical and cultural lin=
ks
to the United States and Europe, might not be able to resist the pull in =
the
long term.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/25/news/cheney.php
.
