An expert panel made up of George Walker Bush has decided that John Winston Howard should be recognised for his “efforts to promote democracy, human rights and peace abroad.” Apparently, engaging in a military invasion counts as promoting peace abroad, and supporting another country’s use of torture enhanced interrogation techniques and long-term detention without charge, trial or right of habeas corpus is promoting human rights.
His prize is the Medal of Freedom – the same honour that was bestowed in recent years on departing Bush lackeys who had managed to screw up, such as George Tenet (CIA director through 9/11 and the Iraq WMD debacle) and Paul Bremer (post-invasion Iraq governor). Losing really does have its privileges.
In that same spirit, let’s make sure that Tim Blair and Jennifer Marohasy get the honours they so richly fail to deserve – I am throwing my full support behind these two ignoble hacks in the 2008 Weblog Awards, because if Howard deserves a pat on the head, then so must they.
ELSEWHERE: Over at GrodsCorp, Scott has started compiling a list of the achievements for which JWH has earned the medal.
Howard took away our guns, locked up refugees, sent the cops into rural communities… FREEDOM!!!1!!
A lame duck honouring a dead rodent.
John Howard is (if nothing else) consistent.
He is just as embarrassing out of office as he was in it.
How is he getting there? Is an Australian L plate transferable to the US? Maybe George will pick him up from the airport? Can George drive? Do the secret service do a taxi service? Are secret service taxis secret? It is a secret service after all. Or is it special service, support service, there’s another SS out there that I can’t quite remember.