Video: Aussies wet themselves as new PM salutes Bush
posted at 2:15 pm on April 5, 2008 by Allahpundit
Share on Facebook | printer-friendly
Can’t blame this on the Australian left; even John Howard’s successor as head of the Liberal Party is in on the faux outrage. It’s Kevin Rudd, formerly head of the Labour Party opposition and known abroad mainly for eating his own earwax on camera, now prime minister and Friend of Dubya and known abroad mainly for saluting Bush on camera — jokingly, as you’ll see from his laughter. Exit question: Since when are Aussies paranoid about their standing vis-a-vis the U.S.? Good lord, boys, you’re acting like Canadians.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Comment pages:
Anyone got the Rove angle on any of this?
Wind Rider on April 5, 2008 at 2:18 PM
BDS is a world wide phenom and lefties always hate American presidents they even branded Clinton a warmonger.
William Amos on April 5, 2008 at 2:23 PM
I am an Australian and most Australians are not left winger. The media though creates that atmosphere because they are in the tank with the Labor Party, just like the U.S. media for the Democrat party. The continuous barrage of negative coverage on Howard and his party finally gave its toll. Rudd copied Howard’s conservative social issues and he got the Christian vote and won. The Labor Party is always against capitalism and we just have to wait and see until they destroy the economy again just like what Paul Keating did before Howard.
mariloubaker on April 5, 2008 at 2:24 PM
That ear wax eating clip is priceless.
I guess when he meets the queen he should use the Benny Hill salute instead.
Zorro on April 5, 2008 at 2:25 PM
“
PeopleLiberals are the same wherever you go…”SouthernGent on April 5, 2008 at 2:27 PM
Geez, just when you though politics couldn’t get any more petty.
For most on the left, if Bush didn’t exist, he’d have to be invented.
Once Bush is gone, folks like Olbermann will have to get real jobs. Start memorizing those hockey names Keith; come next year you’ll be doing sports for a Topeka TV station.
SteveMG on April 5, 2008 at 2:28 PM
Typical white person.
mikeyboss on April 5, 2008 at 2:31 PM
BFD.
Hannibal Smith on April 5, 2008 at 2:31 PM
You’d think they’d take care of that wombat problem before getting in a tissy fit over Boy Rudd.
VolMagic on April 5, 2008 at 2:33 PM
Talk about blown out of proportion…
Dr. Manhattan on April 5, 2008 at 2:34 PM
He looks like an older Edwards, and speaks in cliches like Obama. Other than that, he didn’t salute Bush, he acknowledged him from across the room. Like waving. Dumb media.
JiangxiDad on April 5, 2008 at 2:50 PM
Acting like Canadians?
BL@KBIRD on April 5, 2008 at 3:06 PM
Welcome to the youtube world of stupid, where every nut with an agenda or no life, can interpet any little thing as earth-shaking.
Pathetic but not surprising.
jjshaka on April 5, 2008 at 3:23 PM
Must be a slow news day.
Yeah, acting like Canadians. They spend a whole lot of time worry about if they are “best friends” with the yanks or worry about our influence on them. Some even wondered if we would invade Canada. No kidding. Jeesh!
thatcher on April 5, 2008 at 3:43 PM
Meh……..
Seven Percent Solution on April 5, 2008 at 3:55 PM
We won’t fully understand this gesture until we hear from the Body Language Expert.
eeyore on April 5, 2008 at 4:19 PM
Visiting Australia is an incredible experience, one recommended to all Americans. Australians are incredibly Ami-friendly, and naturally alike, and thankful that, without the friendship/support of years past, they’d have to speak Japanese today.
Stats – 18+ million Australians live in a country near the size of the U.S. and 80+ million Japanese live on two major, and a series of minor sized islands. Some Japanese fly to Australia for weekends, just to golf on the greens, versus throwing balls at indoor nets.
Canadians are actually turning in the other direction, in Ottawa, and amongst the population, which of course goes hand in hand.
Anyone who’s offended at this is so ignorantly naive, no matter who will be PM of Australia, or president of the U.S.A. Nothing will change, nothing here, nothing in the Middle East. All other is just election
crapbabble.G’Day mariloubaker – love your country, and especially the people. But aim to remain more like the Amis, versus the EU-nuchs. The Amis will always, always be with you, no matter what.
Entelechy on April 5, 2008 at 4:30 PM
Ear wax tastes bitter.
A friend of mine told me that.
Tinian on April 5, 2008 at 4:42 PM
Unlike the British, at least they spell
LabourLabor correctly.BTW – What does the rubbing of his hands represent if we are going to be all so sensitive about gestures.
RobCon on April 5, 2008 at 4:44 PM
That was nothing. John Howard kissed his ring and called him Godfather.
RobCon on April 5, 2008 at 4:46 PM
Everyones need to revisit their sense of humor; the grin on his face shows it was meant in good humor.
michaelo on April 5, 2008 at 4:47 PM
….make that an Australian Gawd-Fah-Tha?
RobCon on April 5, 2008 at 4:47 PM
One looks forward to the day when our Canadian and Australasian brethren will throw off the shackles of those creepy Germans they are told are their ‘royals’ and join us as true republics.
Till then? Think it no great thing to receive a salute (sloppy one at that), while those same leaders still require themselves to bow and scrape and lick the boot of monarchs.
Scribbler on April 5, 2008 at 5:10 PM
I love Australia. They’re a truly unique nation in that they made their civilization the way they did, except they had the additional challenge of doing it as the dregs of England.
They seem to keep picking PMs with nads. Let’s hope the trend continues, because they’re one of our last best allies, and one of the last Western nations that values protection against jihadi psychopaths.
MadisonConservative on April 5, 2008 at 5:22 PM
Clinton was a warmonger, at least if you go by the lefty definition of that word; though of course he was exempt in their minds since he had the right letter after his name.
Grayson on April 5, 2008 at 5:23 PM
The reason that a small insignificant gesture like that has to be controversial is because the left refuses to believe that Pres Bush may actually be an intelligent, likeable and trustworthy human being whom even political opposites respect. Since thier ideology cannot win the day they must dehumanize and demonize anyone who does not agree with them.
peacenprosperity on April 5, 2008 at 5:47 PM
Kevin “Kevin07″ Rudd is a great man and a mensch!!!!!
I deeply admire this geek warrior Australia has got, as much as I normally root for the right!!!
HotAirJosef on April 5, 2008 at 5:48 PM
I just can’t agree after listening & reading up on PM Rudd. He’s an amiable centrist keeping in check the left-wingers and fighting for fiscal responsibility, a muscular Australia and a better Australian defense – rightly filling the gigantic shoes of one John Howard.
I concur.
HotAirJosef on April 5, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Midnight Oil on the mic.
- The Cat
MirCat on April 5, 2008 at 6:07 PM
Ouch.
Generalizing us again? All together now, Eastern Canada is like Eastern Europe.
Western Canada is the normal part, remember?
Western Canadian on April 5, 2008 at 6:08 PM
Tell that to Vancouver :)
- The Cat
MirCat on April 5, 2008 at 6:15 PM
this forum has BDS too…so don’t act like you are different
tomas on April 5, 2008 at 6:19 PM
Sorry. I lept before I looked.
JiangxiDad on April 5, 2008 at 7:18 PM
AKA, BDS
(That was my shortest post ever! Uh oh. Now I ruined it. Forget you read this last paragraph.)
theregoestheneighborhood on April 5, 2008 at 7:51 PM
You win a stronger argument if you keep the German theme going all the way. It’s one of my pet peeves with Canada/Australia too, and I love both.
OT, what the Left hates about this gesture is not only that it was directed at Mr. Bush 43, but by implication at the ‘monster’ superpower, which still is the, yes, you got it, U.S.A.
Entelechy on April 5, 2008 at 8:30 PM
To clarify, on topic, what the Left hates about this gesture, the salute, is not only that it was directed at Mr. Bush 43, but by implication at the ‘monster’ superpower, which still is the, yes, you got it, U.S.A.
Entelechy on April 5, 2008 at 8:32 PM
shouldnt be news to anyone who knew their info that the new PM is only a slight tic less america-loving than Howard was
Drunk Report on April 5, 2008 at 9:02 PM
Maybe I am nuts but I thought the article stated that the PM returned President’s Bush’s salute. Its been A LONG TIME since I was in the military but doesn’t the “junior” guy salute first??? I personally think it was an acknowledgment between world leaders but if the Aussie media is going to take it seriously, then they should be CROWING about their leader’s superiority. Or maybe I am completely wrong??????????
HawaiiLwyr on April 5, 2008 at 10:15 PM
“Howard Lite”
The biggest concern for most leaning to the right in Oz is just how long he can keep some of the more undesirable elements of his party in line, or if they’re going to exert more and more influence as time goes by. He’s doing reasonably well at the moment, for the most part though.
In other news, I haven’t seen this in any Australian news outlets yet. I’ll go see what the papers have today..
Reaps on April 5, 2008 at 11:13 PM
Visiting Australia is on my agenda. I had the pleasure of kibitzing with a visiting RAAF Officer at my base a few months back. One of my best friends spent quite a bit of time with Aussie troops in the AOR and he came away from the experience with a ton of respect for them.
Mooseman on April 5, 2008 at 11:18 PM
Mine too…would also love to see New Zealand.
labrat on April 5, 2008 at 11:43 PM
He saluted better than Kerry
aikidoka on April 6, 2008 at 12:41 AM
Thanks
I sort-of agree. Especially with Deputy PM Julia Gillard, perceived to be the warhorse heartthrob of the Aussie Labor left.
HotAirJosef on April 6, 2008 at 1:50 AM
I have Blair Derangement Syndrome. Does that count?
aengus on April 6, 2008 at 1:29 PM
Does his mama know he’s out playing PM??? I’d like to see GW wipe that smirk off his face…What a wuss. My condolences to the fine citizens of Australia.
Nozzle on April 6, 2008 at 6:20 PM
Damn, to this geek, I had to come back for more!!!
Kevin07 is the next Tony Blair, thank goodness!!!!!!!!!
HotAirJosef on April 6, 2008 at 7:59 PM
Well, Vancouver is Hollywood North.
Frozen Tex on April 7, 2008 at 9:50 AM
Speaking of Canada, does anyone know if we’ve taken that place over yet?
Kevin M on April 7, 2008 at 1:13 PM
Comment pages: