A Sign of the Times?

Hey, remember when the defeat of Australian Prime Minster Howard was a sign from the international community that President Bush was alienating all is allies and causing conservative leaders in the West to lose elections?

Yeah, I remember that:

This was not a referendum over Iraq ... but one by one world leaders who supported the invasion are being pushed out of office (Aznar, Blair and now Howard, to name three). Their replacements aren't likely to be so trusting of Bush, though policy will not radically change, either. Bottom line? It doesn't matter what part of the world you live in. George W Bush is an albatross around the neck of every politician who supports him. Oh, and that's true in the US as well [though as our Australian friends note, that's not why Howard lost].

Hey, what's going on down under?

[Tony} Abbott, the leader of the conservative Liberal Party-led coalition, rode a wave of public bitterness over a hated carbon emissions tax, worries about a flagging economy and frustration over government infighting to win the election.

But there is no way we should jump to any conclusions about trust and support for President Obama when Australians join South Koreans, Japanese, Canadians, British, German, and French voters who prefer more conservative governments.

And Heaven forfend thoughts that President Obama might be an albatross around the necks of domestic Democrats seeking voter approval!