From The Campaign Trail

Australia's illegal invasion of Iraq must remain an important election issue. We invaded on the basis of lies and deception, and remain on the same basis. The recent reports on Iraq from US Ambassador Crocker http://www.state.gov/p/nea/rls/rm/2007/91941.htm and General Petraeus http://www.state.gov/p/nea/rls/rm/2007/91966.htm defy belief. There is no military solution to Iraq. There is only an Iraqi political solution that the Iraqi people need to work out - but they can't do that while under occupation. They can't do it while firms like Blackwater USA do anything they like, with complete immunity from Iraqi law. And it needs to be stressed that a military withdrawal does not mean abandoning the Iraqi people. Having been instrumental in creating the mess, we are under a profound - ethical and legal - obligation to provide development aid and humanitarian relief to Iraq. For an alternative view to that painted by Petraeus and shared by the Howard Government see http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/174834/launching_brand_petraeus or http://electroniciraq.net