SYDNEY -- Ah, such dilemmas in power politics. At last, after years of both sides giving concessions, Australia has gotten America to agree to a free trade agreement. And what does the Australian Labor Party do? Threaten to kill it before birth.
As the Congress-approved FTA bill goes to U.S. President George W. Bush this week for signing, Canberra is aghast at the prospect of Australia snubbing Washington by neglecting to complete its end of the deal. Can we trust Canberra again? the Americans must be asking.
The ultimate folly follows a ploy by leftwing elements in the major opposition party to embarrass Prime Minister John Howard. What would have been Howard's last major coup before a coming election has now been turned into a threat to Australia's good name abroad. Far from embarrassing Howard, though, the ploy may well come back to embarrass the dream of Labor leader Mark Latham of becoming prime minister before Christmas.