BUSH TO AWARD MEDAL OF FREEDOM TO COLOMBIAN ALVARO URIBE, TONY BLAIR, AUSTRALIAN JOHN HOWARD

The reason that Barack Obama and family cannot stay at the Blair House during these few days before inauguration is that it is being occupied by the former Australian premier, John Howard. Howard is being awarded the Medal of Freedom by Bush on January 13, together with Alvaro Uribe of Colombia and Tony Blair, former British premier.

Philip Rucker and Al Kamen write in today's Washington Post website:

"Howard and his entourage will be bunking at Blair House on Jan. 12, the night before he, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe are to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Bush, two White House officials said today. The three current and former heads of state are longtime political allies of Bush, and Blair and Howard were key partners in the U.S.-led war in Iraq."

So Bush is awarding his favorite medal to those toadies who supported his disastrous and immoral War in Iraq. The question is, will Iraqis who suffered through these last six years caused by Bush and Co. throw their shoes at all of them?

Recall other famous recipients of the Medal: Gen. Tommy Franks, Paul Bremer and CIA former director George Tenet, three guys who really helped Bush screw up in enabling his unjustified war and then causing ruin and mayhem in Iraq after the invasion.

AUSTRALIANS REJECT JOHN HOWARD, BUSH ALLY, AS PRIME MINISTER

Good news from Australia. Voters have defeated John Howard, prime minister for the last 11 years, and so not only has he lost his post as prime minister but even his seat as a member of the Australian parliament.

Howard was always lapping at the side of Bush and Cheney. He committed Australian troops to Iraq and refused to consider pulling them out. He sided with Bush and Cheney in rejecting the Kyoto Treaty. He was a favorite the Bush administration and he supported all the other disastrous Bush/Cheney policies.

Congratulations to the people of Australia for kicking Howard out of office. Another Bush/Cheney ally loses office!

AUSTRALIAN DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS IT WAS OIL THAT PROMPTED AUSTRALIA TO SEND TROOPS TO IRAQ

Now we have the Defense Minister of Australia admitting that the reason why the Australian government sent troops to Iraq was to protect and preserve Australia's claim on Middle East oil supplies. At last someone has confessed the truth for this ugly war.


Reports the BBC:


"Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson has admitted that securing oil supplies is a key factor behind the presence of Australian troops in Iraq. He said maintaining "resource security" in the Middle East was a priority."

The confession rings true because shortly after the Defense Minister made his statement, John Howard, the Prime Minister, came out and claimed oil was just one of the many reasons, trying to conceal that it was the main and maybe only reason. Howard claimed other reasons, such as "WMD aspirations." Oh yeah! So now it is not the presence of WMD but only Saddam's "WMD aspirations."


According to the BBC:


"But PM John Howard has played down the comments, saying it was "stretching it a bit" to conclude that Australia's Iraq involvement was motivated by oil.


"The remarks are causing heated debate as the US-led Iraq coalition has avoided linking the war and oil."