With the imminent release of Fahrenheit 9/11 in Australia, it was only a matter of time before Michael Moore chimed in with his opinion on Australian politics… Personally, I am a fan of Michael Moore, and what he stands for – sure, I don’t agree with some of his methods, and he is the master of misinformation, but as far as I am concerned, he doesn’t really have the faintest idea on Australian politics, so he really shouldn’t make inflammatory remarks directed towards our government.
At a news conference for foreign correspondents in New York, Moore said Mr. Howard's decision to get "in bed" with Mr. Bush was "disgraceful", and he hoped that after seeing his film Australian voters would seek "regime change".
"I get a lot of mail from Australia," Moore said. "I probably get per capita more mail from Australia than from any other country. A lot of angry Australians, I never realised how angry, and I don't think just because they are living in Australia, right?
"No, I mean, I realise, it's like, you're living on an island, but you're also a country, but you're also a continent. So I know there's a lot of confusion there, right? But what's confusing to me is how is it that someone like John Howard could get in bed with George W. Bush?
"Not to give Mr. Howard too much credit, but he at least appears to have half a brain. Half, I said. Half. I'm being generous. But, I mean, what is he doing with George W. Bush? It's really disgraceful.
"And the Australian people, according to all the polls, don't approve of being part of the coalition of the willing. And I hope the same thing happens to (Howard) that happened to the leader of Spain."
This is where Mr. Moore is wrong. As an Australian, it is within our national interests to form an allegiance with our most culturally close neighbor. Whether the decision to invade Iraq was right or wrong, Australia was always going to lend its support to the USA – a nation that saved us from the Japanese invaders in World War II, and a nation we share a great friendship with today. We may not approve of the war in Iraq, but we certainly support the allegiance we have formed with the USA.
Change comes from the inside, and as America's ally, they are more likely to listen to what we say... these are delusions of grandeur on Australias part, but our opinion as an ally is more likely to be respected then that of a detractor...
If Michael Moore cared about Australia, he might know a little more about our great country, and he might realise that the labor party (the current opposition) are nothing but a bunch of policy detractors, and if they were running the country, Australia would not be experiencing out best economic period ever, Australia would not have global respect, or notoriety – it depends which way you look at it, and our country would generally be in a downward spiral… this is one Australian’s opinion, and it counts for more than one American – no matter how large he is.
It would be extremely un-Australian to disengage from Iraq at this point in time. Admitted, the situation is grave, and certainly messy, but we must stick by our allies to the end, and show them the true grit Australian’s are made of. I don’t know what effect this movie will have on the American polls in November – I sure hope that our polls aren’t affected by the opinion of an outsider - that would be a shame indeed.
BAM!!!