Petraeus Attempts To Manipulate Australian Election With False Claims About Iraq

[rodeodance]

http://thinkprogress.org/?tag=Administration

Petraeus Attempts To Manipulate Australian Election With False Claims About Iraq

bushhowardcheers.gif On Monday, President Bush will visit Australia to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. The White House is using the trip to try to influence the Australian election, where Bush’s good friend John Howard is pitted in a contest against Labor leader Kevin Rudd.

...........

General Petraeus told The Australian during a face-to-face interview at his Baghdad headquarters there had been a 75 per cent reduction in religious and ethnic killings since last year.

The Australian reports, “In a general sense, this success will help the Howard Government.” But as numerous reports have indicated, these claims of success are specious. Sectarian and ethnic killings remain very high, running at almost double the rate of last year.

Dennis Shanahan, the Australian reporter who spoke with Petraeus, said there were attacks directed at the U.S. embassy during the interview. “So for to be talking there about security in Iraq, there was a certain irony attached,” Shanahan said.

For his contribution, Bush granted an interview to Australian Sky News to laud Howard as “a man of steel.” Bush “refused to accept” that his key Iraq ally was heading to defeat.

[roseBudd]

1. Bush called Howard “a man of steel.” is he confusing him with Superman, able to leap tall buildings

in a single bound

[3waygeek]

3. You sure that's not "man of steal"

To Bush, that would be the greatest complement he could give.

[rooboy]

2. Man, I nearly threw up my breakfast when The Australian ran that headline.

As a Murdoch rag you expect this kind of crap, but even for them this was an incredibly shameful piece of propaganda.

[depakid]

4. If he thinks Ozzies are as STUPID as Americans

he's going to be quite surprised....