Fed: Latham defends calling Bush incompetent

AAP General News (Australia)
12-03-2003
Fed: Latham defends calling Bush incompetent

CANBERRA, Dec 3 AAP - New Labor Leader Mark Latham today sought to justify calling
US President George W Bush incompetent and dangerous, saying in a democracy he had the
right to use forceful language.

Mr Latham described Mr Bush earlier this year as the most incompetent and dangerous
president in living memory and a flaky and dangerous American president.

He said he made the comments in relation to the United States-led war in Iraq because
he believed the policies were wrong.

"And in a democracy we've got to have the freedom to disagree with policy," Mr Latham
told ABC radio.

"This is what we're fighting for in the war against terror."

He said he wanted to talk to the US ambassador to Australia Tom Schieffer now that
he was leader, but he would do so in private.

In Washington today, US State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli was reported as
saying the US took "strong issue" with the comments by Mr Latham.

Mr Ereli would not say anything further, adding: "I really don't want to get into the
sort of internal dynamics of Australian politics."

Mr Latham said he was a life-long supporter of the American alliance, but that did
not mean he had to be a rubber stamp for the US.

"Labor opposed the conflict in Iraq for a range of reasons, you've got to say with
the benefit of hindsight we wouldn't have changed our position," he said.

"In a democracy you can use forceful language in a situation when people are going off to war.

"This wasn't a teddy bear's picnic down the road.

"This was the commitment of Australian men and women to fight a war.

"And if people weren't displaying passion and putting their views out clearly and forcefully,
because these young people are expected to fight for their lives and fight for the mission
that they were sent on in Iraq, if you don't do those things in a democracy, what do we
stand for?

"We'll be some sort of passionless, empty vessel where we don't show a bit of force
and argument."

AAP sm/sb/rcg/jlw

KEYWORD: LABOR US LATHAM

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