I missed the news last evening due to visitors, alcohol and good chat. I did, however, manage to catch the last legs of the interview on Lateline between Maxine McKew and Bob Carr, former NSW Premier and self-confessed avid Ameriphile.
Many people don’t like Carr because of his politics, or his almost sycophantic love of all things Americana, his passion for Gore Vidal or any number of other excuses to belittle a man who obviously has intellect. Whether or not he made a fist of political life in NSW is irrelevant to me. I’m a Queenslander. However, ten years at the top of the tree in State politics has to speak volumes for the man, if not his political bent. I happen to like listening to him speak. He’ll never speak on a subject which he isn’t 100% full bottle on, and when he does speak, it’s with assuredness, confirmation and authority. In other words, he’s worth a listen. Seeing as I missed most of the interview, I’ve downloaded the whole thing from the Lateline site. Thank you, Aunty. Despite having to appear even more politically correct than ever under the Howardian appointed Managing Director, your services are still well and truly worth my eight cents each & every day.
Carr – avid American watcher and aficianardo that he is – pulled no punches. In my experience, he rarely does. Damning the Bush administration for its adventurous, expeditionary, evangelistic zeal for spreading the message of truth, justice and the American (Republican) way throughout the Middle-East. Blaming that zeal for wrecking America’s standing in the global community, which it most certainly has. His view on the adventurism of the Bush led, Cheney inspired lunacy which has seen America fail in Iraq, perhaps carrying on into a concocted scenario in Iran is more than a little disquieting.
I did find what he had to say about the forthcoming NSW state elections in March 2007, and the success of Morris Iemma, to be just a little wishful, as was his claims about Beazley winning off the back of IR, Climate Change, etc. Not that I’d decry any socialist victory, but I find those two to be long bows, quite frankly.
It was good to see and hear him speak again. It’s interesting that the media, and not just our dear Aunty, seek out our former political leaders more and more often these days. Surely a sign that the current incumbents can’t be trusted to speak their minds honestly any more. I for one will be watching the predictions of Bob Carr – America in the M/E, Iemma in NSW and Beazley in the Federal sphere – with renewed interest.