Educating Peter

"Never ascribe to malice, that which is adequately explained by incompetence."
- Napoleaon Bonaparte

Australian Treasurer Peter Costello, this week complained about the pervasive left-wing bias that teachers in the public school system impart on their young charges. He reached this conclusion after an encounter with a single student who, after listening to Mr. Costello talk about Australia's relationship with the United States, queried "What have the Americans done for us?"

Indeed.

Ah, Peter, Peter, Peter. Are these the same teachers whose inability to teach the 3 R's the Government is complaining about? But I'm sure you understand that a single student doesn't make for a very valid statistical sample. As treasure I would expect you to know a little bit about numbers. Let's not be too harsh on the boy or his teachers. Perhaps this is just a little insight into what it really means to have a system where education is a privilege not a right.

What is really interesting is that the Treasurer never answered the question. What is really sad is that the media didn't take him to task for avoiding it. So, taking the student's question at face value, I will boldly step in and attempt to answer for him. It should be fairly simple. Certainly, in World War II the Americans were pretty handy - that can't really be disputed. Although the trendy, revisionist protrayal of the US as the sole rescuers of the world might be disputed by, say...the Russians.

What else? Well going back a bit there was Vietnam - that was where we were supposed to stop the Communists from toppling the dominos in the rest of Asia. OK, so we were lied into going. And we lost. And 30 years later the Communists vanished in a puff of smoke anyway (except in Vietnam were I suspect they've hung on just to spite us). But it was still worth it right? I'm sure the families of the dead would agree.

In more recent times, and on a lighter note, there's the Australia US Free Trade Agreement. That seems to be working out well. Then of course there's the US' "robust" foreign policy in Australia's neck of the woods - no problems there. And how can we forget the war on terror? That's doing us the world of good.

Question answered?

Seriously though, Costello's remark is a pathetically transparent attempt to tar any opinion that doesn't ring with pro-war jingoism as "anti-Western". It's also an insidious attempt to garner credibility for an unpopular war by linking it in people's minds with the "just" war - World War II - and the need to stay loyal to our true friend and ally when they need us. Well Mr. Costello, they don't need us this time. They can lose this one without us.