Tuesday, August 13, 2013

The Australian's 'Suppository of Wisdom'

The Australian's foreign editor, Greg (Jerusalem Prize) Sheridan, continues to amaze.

Did you know, for example, that Tony Abbott "looked completely prime ministerial" in Sunday night's 'great' debate?

But then this is the "suppository of wisdom," as his dear friend Tony might describe him, who once declared that G.W. Bush "may well be judged, ultimately, a great president."

But that's not what really stood out for me in Sheridan's post debate commentary yesterday. This was:

"Notably there was no foreign policy beyond boats. However, some of Rudd's statements in this area were bizarre. It is astonishing that Rudd should blame the Sri Lankan civil war for a flow of boatpeople. The Sri Lankan civil war ran for decades. It didn't start under Rudd. It ended on Rudd's watch, so it didn't cause the boats." (Presidential Abbott sinks Rudd in debate, 12/8/13)

Remember here that we're dealing with "the most influential foreign affairs analyst in Australian journalism," according to his profile on the Australian's website.

Yet, this SOW seems not to have twigged to the possibility that, so long as the Tamil Tigers were around to protect the Tamil community from the depredations of a genocidal Sri Lankan military, there was really no need for Sri Lankan Tamils to jump on a boat.

Why, if such a thought had ever crossed his mind, the Australian's SOW might have to rethink his characterisation of Hamas as merely a "death-cult."* Heaven forbid!

[*See my 21/5/09 post Repeat After Me.]

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