Investor's Business Daily, September 7th, 2007
Leadership: Australian Prime Minister John Howard is the last man standing in the terror war's "coalition of the willing." His unflinching allegiance goes deeper than politics and should make Americans grateful.
'America could ask for no better friend and more steadfast ally than Prime Minister John Howard," President Bush told the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation at its annual meeting in Sydney this week. Bush spoke wisely, because for as long as Howard has been in office -- some 12 years -- he has stood by his alliance with America. His stance on the Iraq War is unique.
"Our commitment to Iraq remains, and Australian forces will remain at their present levels in Iraq, not based on any calendar but based on conditions on the ground," Howard told Bush. That rock-hard statement underlines the fact that he's the last man standing.
As Howard renews his commitment to winning, allies within the original coalition of the willing have fallen away over the years.
Some, like Spain, have reneged out of fear of al-Qaida. Others, like France under Jacques Chirac, sought to undercut us even before the war started. Others, like Honduras and the Dominican Republic, only stayed for the length of their commitment and no more. Still others, like Italy and England, tired of the effort and elected new leaders far less committed to finishing the fight.
Not so John Howard. He has held fast through all the military setbacks and is now taking a hit in the polls as Australia's election season beckons next spring. But he's not for turning.
His left-leaning political opponent, Kevin Rudd -- although not anti-American -- has a huge lead in the polls for now, in part on his vow to pull Australian troops from Iraq sometime next year. With that in his face, Howard has stuck to his principles.
Perhaps it's because it's the Australian way to stay true to allies. No matter what their party or where they stand on any war, Australians themselves have always supported America with boots on the ground when it counted -- even in wars that drew little public enthusiasm, like Vietnam. They don't understand "cut and run."
U.S. and Australian troops both fought at the sharp end together in Europe during World War I. They stood together again in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Australians have always been the gold standard for alliances.
None embody that Australian spirit more than John Howard. Today he's forging ties with the U.S. on climate change, free trade and, yes, national security. Even as he takes a hit in the polls for his U.S. ties, it might not mean his political end, and with good reason.
During the last election Howard was behind, too. He managed to win anyway. It's telling that Rudd recently has slowly shifted his position toward Howard's on Iraq as the campaign progresses.
While Rudd moves, Howard is already there and isn't budging.
Australia is sometimes called the lucky nation, but is any nation luckier than America to have an ally such as this? Howard's leadership is a big reason why.
