Attack on Obama draws Howard into election scrap

Attack on Obama draws Howard into election scrap
By Raphael Minder in Sydney
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
Published: February 15 2007 02:00 | Last updated: February 15 2007 02:00


The main contenders in this year's Australian federal elections have been forced into a surprisingly early and forceful debate on the country's involvement in the US-led coalition in Iraq after an attack by John Howard, the prime minister, on Barack Obama, the US Democratic presidential candidate.

Mr Howard sparked a storm of criticism, and a strong rebuff from Mr Obama, after suggesting on Sunday that terrorists would want Mr Obama elected because of his proposal to withdraw US troops from Iraq by March 2008.

He went on to attack Kevin Rudd, the leader of the opposition Labor party, for lacking "guts". That prompted Mr Rudd to challenge the prime minister to a televised debate on Iraq, an idea Mr Howard dismissed.

The spat has left political commentators questioning the normally astute centre-right prime minister's judgment, both in his handling of Sydney's relationship with Washington and his electoral strategy.

Some pundits suggested the unprecedented meddling in US politics showed Mr Howard was running out of ideas of how to undermine Mr Rudd, who was elected Labor leader in December and has since overtaken Mr Howard in opinion polls.

Mr Rudd has an approval rating of 65 per cent, the highest for a Labor leader in 35 years, according to the most recent ACNielsen survey, published on Monday in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.

Since the September 11 attacks, Mr Howard has played a particularly strong hand on foreign policy and national security issues, accusing previous Labor leaders of weakening their commitment to Australia's long-standing alliance with the US. However, Mr Rudd, a former diplomat, has managed to soften the Labor stance on Iraq, reasserting yesterday that he wanted a staged withdrawal but in close consultation with Washington.

Some pundits suggested Mr Howard had at least managed to shift the debate away from issues such as climate change, where he has recently been caught flat-footed. He was pushed into making contradictory statements by Mr Rudd's persistent call for stricter curbs on carbon dioxide emissions.

They also noted that attacking Mr Obama was unlikely to damage Mr Howard's reputation in the eyes of Australian voters. Far more significant would be a dramatic turn in Australia's military fortunes in Iraq, where it has so far avoided combat casualties.

"This is a sign of how the debate in Australia will be shaping up in coming months," said John Warhurst, a professor at the Australian National University. "There will be no running away on the issue of Iraq. I suspect Mr Howard feels there are more votes in sticking to his guns than attempting a compromise. He can show he is consistent, has values and a clear point of view - whether right or wrong."

But Michael Fullilove, the director of the global issues programme at the Sydney-based Lowy Institute for International Policy, said Mr Howard had been caught "defying the zeitgeist", both over climate change and by attacking the rising star of US politics. "Even if [taking on Mr Obama] was premeditated, it has certainly not played out the way he would like it to," he said.