Mr. Bush's ally [PM John Howard] — who first met the president on Sept. 10, 2001, and whose bond with him was forged the next day — refuses to draw back, calling Mr. Rudd's proposal to scale down the Iraq force "objectionable."
"Firstly, it misreads the needs of the Iraqi people, and secondly, at the present time, a close ally and friend such as Australia should be providing the maximum presence and indication of support to our very close ally and friend in the person of the United States," Mr. Howard said as he stood shoulder to shoulder with Mr. Bush.
Lest anyone accuse him of being a poodle, however, there's this:
He opted to attend a sports awards ceremony in Sydney on Tuesday night, leaving a lower-level official to greet Mr. Bush when he arrived at the airport.
"I have got to get my priorities right. No disrespect — he's my good friend, but this is rugby league," the prime minister said from the Dally M Awards that night.
Love that man.
