SYDNEY -- A United Nations resolution of the Iraq crisis cannot come too soon for Australia. Each day of delay gnaws at the easygoing tolerance that marks the Australian lifestyle.
Half a million protesters carried antiwar banners through the streets of major Australian cities last weekend. Talk-back radio is running hot with for-and-against outbursts from frustrated listeners. Proud soldiers are told to wear civilian clothes in the northern port city of Townsville. Little wonder the silent majority dread this apparent return to the vicious antiwar mob's noise during the Vietnam War years.
Canberra remains solid with the United States and Britain in committing forces to the Persian Gulf. What divides this country is whether we should go all the way with U.S. President George W. Bush against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in the event of the U.N.'s inability to resolve the Baghdad standoff.