Originally Posted by Bigfella

I made the mistake of reading this article before I checked the source. Should have saved myself the time.

The article appeared in 'The Australian', a newspaper whose slide from respected conservative daily to second rate conservative propaganda rag has been one of the saddest features of the Australian media over the past decade.

The author, Greg Sheridan, shed all pretence of balanced analysis some time ago. He is best know as Australia's most vocal apologist for the murderous & brutal Soeharto Regime. Indeed, his biggest break with his conservative political patrons was when John Howard intervened to help save East Timorese from rampaging Indonesian-backed militias. Since then Greg has kissed (and kissed and kissed - mostly arse) and made up. He is an experienced foreign affairs commentator, but not one with a shred of credibility.

As for Rudd & China, the man criticised China's behaviour in Tibet while IN BEIJING. How many world leaders have managed this? When China kept insisting their tracksuited thugs surround the Olympic Torch, Rudd backed our police to take care of security, unlike some other nations. He is meeting with Japan's PM twice this year. The issue of selling uranium to India is a Uranium issue, not an India issue. As for multilateral meetings, lets wait a bit more than 6 months before we decide where Rudd is going with this. Indeed, for all this flak, nothing Rudd has done is remotely as craven a kowtow to Beijing as the previous government's abandonment of the 'no comment' posture on the issue of a Chinese attack on Taiwan, yet the likes of Sheridan were hardly shouting the odds about this.

In addition to improving relations with China while simultaneously calling it on human rights, Rudd has: kept the US alliance strong despite pulling our troops out of Iraq; been the first Australian leader to address NATO; brought Australia into line with the world on the Kyoto Protocol; restored battered relations our Pacific neighbours. He even made the top 10 in Time's 100 most influential people.

It is little wonder that conservatives like Sheridan are livid - their departed hero crippled our international credibility at a vital time by expressing a desire to be America's 'Deputy Sherrif' in the region, and then spending years acting as if he meant it. Rudd has achieved more overseas in 6 months than Howard did in a decade. The region should worry less & have a little faith. Greg Sheridan should stop pretending he is conducting 'analysis' and just admit it is propaganda.