Heard via the Twittisphere and then the TV news that President Obama will be visiting Indonesia later this year but not gracing the Kingdom of Oz with his presence. I'm not really sure how to take it.
On one hand, there is the embuggerance factor of an event such as this. If you have ever seen a US Presidential Visit you will understand what a circus it is.
I was a very minor cog in the huge machine involved in George W Bush's 2003 visit to say a big thank you to his best buddy, John "Deputy Dawg of the Pacific" Howard. It was at Parliament House in Canberra, my job was to stand on a platform, ostensibly guarding a TV cameraman, looking down on George Dubya as he alighted from his limo to shake hands with Deputy Dawg. I was armed with a trusty H&K 9mm, I kept my hands well clear of the holster at all times. Guys in dark suits and darker sunnies would not have been impressed! They were everywhere, thicker than ticks on a coast cat's coat. Later in the day I had the pleasure of lining Adelaide Avenue outside The Lodge staring at lots of unkempt people waving signs whilst George & John had a barbie on the other side of the brick wall.
On one hand, there is the embuggerance factor of an event such as this. If you have ever seen a US Presidential Visit you will understand what a circus it is.
I was a very minor cog in the huge machine involved in George W Bush's 2003 visit to say a big thank you to his best buddy, John "Deputy Dawg of the Pacific" Howard. It was at Parliament House in Canberra, my job was to stand on a platform, ostensibly guarding a TV cameraman, looking down on George Dubya as he alighted from his limo to shake hands with Deputy Dawg. I was armed with a trusty H&K 9mm, I kept my hands well clear of the holster at all times. Guys in dark suits and darker sunnies would not have been impressed! They were everywhere, thicker than ticks on a coast cat's coat. Later in the day I had the pleasure of lining Adelaide Avenue outside The Lodge staring at lots of unkempt people waving signs whilst George & John had a barbie on the other side of the brick wall.
There were in excess of 30 vehicles in that presidential convoy. Ambulances, armoured black vans with machine guns inside, armoured black vans with weird aerials sticking out of the roof, stacks of other cars and to cap it off the behemoth of a presidential limo. This thing had the biggest wheels I have ever seen on a car. The doors, when they opened, appeared to be a couple of feet thick. I shudder to think what would happen if George had jammed his fingers, as happens to us all occasionally. It was a truly amazing beast of a machine; it romped all over Mr Howard's Holden Statesman "C1".
Add the noise of FA-18's patrolling Canberra's airspace, the fuss caused by Air Force One parked out at Fairbairn air base and you have some serious competition for Ashton Bros or Cirque Du Soleil.On the other hand, does it show that the Americans don't really think very much of us? Are we so insignificant that Mr Obama only has time to jet into Indonesia, a third world country which, coincidentally, is the world's largest Muslim nation? Does Indonesia go around helping fight America's wars? Have they stood by Uncle Sam in WW2, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf Wars 1 & 2 and the ongoing War on Terror? Do they host “Joint Defence Facilities”? Do they participate in the UKUSA agreement? Do they have a bond such as the ANZUS alliance? No, they don’t. How do they rate so highly? What's in it for the Americans may be more the question.
Consider how often US presidents actually make it out here, 4 different presidents in 50 years. LBJ twice in the 60s (once to go to Harold Holt's funeral), George H Bush in 1992, Bill Clinton in 1996 and Dubya in 2003 and 2007, the later being for APEC. Take away LBJ’s funeral visit and Bush’s APEC, which he would have attended no matter where it was held, and you really have only 4 official visits. Pretty poor effort for a loyal and stalwart ally.
If anyone is a foreign policy guru please let me know what it all means!
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