Brendan Nicholson; 7/6/08
The great Houdini would have been delighted at the skill with which the Rudd Government has created the impression that Australia has pulled its military forces out of Iraq. For Labor in opposition the promise to withdraw the “combat troops” proved a neat way to differentiate the ALP from the Howard government and to win over the many voters alarmed about Australia’s involvement in an unpopular war. But it also left a very substantial commitment in place to avoid unhinging the US alliance. The 550 soldiers in the Overwatch Battle Group and 70 instructors are certainly coming home and there will be a parade through Brisbane this month to prove it. In fairness to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, this week’s announcement about the Australian troops leaving Iraq did include details of those who were staying on. But he also managed to leave the impression that for Australia the war is over.
See: http://www.theage.com.au/world/our-war-is-not-over-yet-20080606-2mvk.html
