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Bush Welcomes Australia's PM Howard to White House NewsMax.com Wires WASHINGTON -- President Bush and Australian Prime Minister John Howard underscored their alliance in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on Tuesday and pledged determination to defeat the forces of terrorism.
Five years ago, Bush and Howard met each other at the White House on Sept. 10, 2001 _ the day before America's worst terrorist attack. "Our nations have stood together on every day afterwards," Bush told Howard at an elaborate welcoming ceremony on the South Lawn.
"The American people know that Australia is a strong ally," Bush said.
While many of Bush's foreign allies in the early days of the war are either gone or on their way out of office, Howard has stayed politically strong, even as Bush's popularity has plummeted. Story Continues Below
Looking back on their first meeting, Howard said that it was a day on which "we were expressing hope about a more peaceful world, a world in which Christian and Muslim would work together, a world in which the nations of the world would unite in harmony and peace.
"The following day, of course, the world changed forever," Howard said.
"Our cause is a just cause," the prime minister said. "Terrorism respects no value system. Terrorism does not respect the tenets of the great religions of the world. Terrorism is based on evil, intolerance and bigotry and no free societies such as Australia and the United States can ever buckle under to bigotry and intolerance."
Analysts say Howard has managed to achieve a rare feat in current international relations, cultivating strong ties with America's beleaguered president while successfully managing criticism of those bonds at home.
As a reward for his loyalty, Howard was receiving an elaborate welcome in Washington, including a fancy dinner with the city's political and social elite.
"The administration is feting him in a way that's almost unique," said Kurt Campbell, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former senior Asia specialist at the Pentagon. "I don't think there's any country globally that punches as far above its weight as Australia does."
The high ceremony of Howard's visit belies Bush's domestic struggles, as lawmakers from both political parties, keen to build momentum as November elections approach, increasingly question his policies.
The pomp also underscores Howard's position as one of a dwindling number of foreign leaders Bush can rely on to support an increasingly bloody struggle in Iraq.
Jose Maria Aznar of Spain has left office. Italy's Silvio Berlusconi was defeated in recent elections. Britain's Tony Blair has reshuffled his Cabinet in a bid to cling to power following disastrous local elections. In Japan, Junichiro Koizumi remains popular but has pledged to leave office in September.
Evidence of the importance that U.S. officials accord Australia's support has been seen in the effusive public demonstrations of gratitude bestowed on Howard during his trip to Washington.
At a ceremonial planting of two trees from the White House grounds at the home of the Australian ambassador on Sunday, Bush told Howard: "I can't thank you enough, John, for your strong support of the liberty agenda (and your) deep desire for the world to be a peaceful place."
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice praised Howard on Monday at a State Department luncheon, saying "that any time the United States is on the front lines in the defense of freedom, Australians are by our side. And for that, we thank you."
Howard, in his reply to Rice, said Australia is at the forefront of countries that "urge greater rather than lesser United States involvement in the affairs of the world."
Howard has maintained his political strength in the face of critics who have questioned such strong ties to the United States. In 2004, he soundly defeated an opposition party that promised to bring home Australia's troops in and around Iraq if it won.
© 2006 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Editor's note: Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
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