Canberra, Australia
Australian Prime Minister John Howard singled out U.S. Sen. Barack Obama for criticism this week, saying that his plan to withdraw troops from Iraq would destablize the entire Middle East. Howard, an ally of President Bush, said that Obama’s plan would “create chaos and victory for the terrorists” and that al Qaida should “pray as many times as possible for a victory not only for Obama but also for the Democrats.” Obama said that despite Howard’s “cowboy rhetoric,’’ Australia has sent only 1,400 troops to Iraq. If Howard really believed that the war was critical, Obama said, he would send another 20,000.
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