there are still a few heros left in the western world...aussie p.m. john howard

[MrChristo]

As ****ing entertainly bland as ever...

What part of *wink*, *laughing guy* didn't you understand??

Get over it!.. Some of us don't pretend to be (or want to be!) Mr. Serious all day, every day. :shrug: ...or is that waht it takes to have an adoring public these days?

(Speaking of which, it was nice of DTB to agree with you, given you've said well, nothing at all in this thread really!...except obviously, "My man Howard has won 4 in a row, and that speaks for itself" passes as being objective...or "analytical thnking" these days.)

I think we are all starting to get a decent idea what mood at least one part of the country is in.

Full of chuckles you lot aren't you.

 

[MrChristo]

I just watched a doco called "Third World War: Al-Queda v. The West" (or something very similar!)...

...anyway, inevitably the got onto the Bali bombing, and interviewed a former Head of Australian Intelligence.

He made some very interesting claims...

...Basically he said that it's quickly become next to pointless of having intelligence officers in the field (SE Asia in this case) because (quote) "The government only listens to what it wants to hear."

He claimed that as early as 2001 the government was made aware that Bali (specifically western frequented locations) was becoming an increasingly attractive terrorist target...

...Alexander Downer was personally told in two seperate meetings that intelligence had intercepted evidence that there was a "large amount of explosives" (1000 kg of TNT) in Bali, and that again, western targets were extremely likely.

2 days before the bombing, the U.S. issued official travel warnings to their citizens in Bali to "avoid restaurants, bars and night-clubs"...
...Downer and the Australian government said Bali was (again quote) "business as usual."

Well played indeed...:nono:

 

[smurphy]

"The government only listens to what it wants to hear."
:

that sounds tragically familiar. we ignore memos that bin laden is determined to attackwithin the us, yet go out of our way to make up shlt about iraq. it's fkn ridiculous.