A former diplomat and labor leader, Kevin Rudd, defeated Australian Prime Minister John Howard to lead the Australian people in a new direction.
Mr. Rudd campaigned and promised the Australian people that he would withdraw Australian troops from Iraq and sign the Kyoto Protocol on Global Warming. Mr. Howard was a staunch supporter of President Bush and his Iraq policy and refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocal.
The defeat was so decisive it was reported Howard would probably loose his parliamentary seat altogether. That would be only the second time in Australia's history. The defeat of Howard is a continuation of the fallout from the Iraq War. Donald Tusk, Poland's new Prime Minister, said in his inaugural address just recently that Poland would withdraw its troops from Iraq by the end of 2008.
People around the world are making it known that the occupying forces in Iraq should be withdrawn. The American people share that same feeling, despite the state of denial the Bush administration and many Republicans are still in. Hopefully, next year, the American people will speak out as loudly against the war as people in Australia and Poland and around the world did, and elect a President who is committed to bringing the war to a safe end.
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