As an Australian, I could scarcely believe it 11 years ago when the country turned to John Howard. This was a man who had already earned the ironic nickname "Honest John" - not from his political opponents, but from people within his own party who had witnessed his unprincipled willingness to say and do anything to place himself in the spotlight.

This was a man who since then has been described by others in his own party as a "lying rodent".

He brought racism back to new levels of public acceptance. He destroyed any last vestiges of apolitical public service in the bureaucracy, eliminated accountability (sound familiar, American friends?), who introduced to the Australian lexicon "non-core promises", who set back indigenous relations by decades, who rushed us to a war on the basis of lies (while at the same time overseeing a statutory authority that was paying hundreds of millions of dollars in kickbacks to Saddam's regime), a man who continued to even acknowledge climate change until Rupert Murdoch eventually gave it the green light, and whose response to it was commit more money to the coal industry..... I could go on.

He is gone. His legacy ends in crushing defeat. Whether his successors show any genuine will to repair the damage done remains to be seen. But for now, it's a wonderful, wonderful day, a long time coming.

"This is what war is. This is what war has always been."

@Chris Rywalt - Is justifying the murder of civilians really this simple for you? And even if it is, have you stopped a moment to consider what this war is about?

Why is there a war? Why is there an occupation? What the hell is the moral purpose to this?

I see in a later post you express more concern about the spending of your tax dollars than the wasting of innocent human life. Maybe that helps answer a lot of these questions.

PM Rudd has also created a new federal ministry - Climate Change and Water. The new minister, Penny Wong is a Malaysian-born, Chinese-Australian who is openly gay. This is not in the slightest bit controversial. My country is growing up. And it is good.

@jimmcf, I agree with your main point, but think you don't take it far enough. To many people, all religious belief is insane. What's even more mad, and exasperating, is that there is no chance at all (for the foreseeable future) that you country could ever vote for a candidate who was openly atheist.

I think most people have misunderstood the question about being "done with public service".

As far as I can see, Cheney has always ensured that the public were serving him - just look at the vast torrent of tax dollars gushing into his business interests via sweetheart defense contractor deals.

Why would he ever want to be done with that? So far it's worked a real treat.

Seriously though... SERIOUSLY.... why is this guy not in jail?

No really, name one American in history who has been responsible for more unjust deaths AND perpetrated the greatest quantum of theft from the public purse.

(Maybe Kissinger beats him on the former, but no one comes close to the latter, let alone achieving the combo)

How many decades do you all think it will be before it is possible for an openly atheist candidate to become President of the United States?

...and if there is, can they ever do anything about it?

It is is frightening how your system has allowed the administration to become so completely insulated from genuine journalistic (or other) scrutiny. Every media organisation in the country should be screaming for the opportunity to actually interview the president on so many issues, including this one.

One simple question would help us get started to understand the true facts: "Mr President, have you ever heard of anyone deliberately destroying evidence which showed they were acting legally?"

But of course no one gets to subject the President to any questioning in any form of Parliament. No one it, seems, gets the chance to interview the President in any event that is not a prearranged puff piece. No one who might possibly be concerned with the activities of the government appears to get past the security at public events.

The Democrats get elected to a position of power in Congress but for thoroughly baffling reasons they seem to believe that it would be unseemly to act as if they had a mandate to follow their campaign platforms and party policies.

And it is accepted that unelected mercenaries like Dana Perino, Tony Snow, Ari Fleischer, et al, can simply deflect, dissemble, and distract when your country is facing some of the biggest questions of its history.

Why does America accept this?

Where is the accountability?

And without it, by what standard can America still be called a democracy?

1. First off, this kills a conspiracy theory for me. I often thought that his public stupidity was just too improbable and that therefore GWB may have only been acting dumb. Now, having seen this performance I just don't believe he has the range to pull it off. Which leads me to point 2...

2. So, not only is GWB dumber than Ronald Reagan, he's also a worse actor. Remarkable achievements!

3. Why didn't they mention just how excellent the oil reserves are in America's national parks?

4. The suspense of the movie was killing me. I was sure it was going to wind up with Barney going into the VP's office and shrieking out a moment later with a face full of birdshot.

5. Why the hell would Tony Blair still be visiting the Bushes now that he doesn't have to for his job? That's just weird and leads me finally to point 6...

6. Super kudos to "bucknet" above for the lapdog line! Splendid work.