The elections where the Bush lackey PM is looking to take a beating in the polls, right?

And he won't be shipped there until after, too?

This deal has "preserve a Bush-friendly government in Australia by 'leniency'" written all over it.

And I, too, look forward to the book/movie.

Australia will be interesting as the leader of the opposition Kevin Rudd has given a guarantee that all troops will be pulled out of Iraq the moment he takes office at the end of this year (which he almost certainly will).

...

The only heartening thing about all this is that the a*** have lost their ability to read the electorate, hence influence it.  The Hicks tragedy is a case in point.  That poor kid's torture and continued incarceration is quoted by many australian voters as being a major factor in their decision to move their support away from Deputy Johnny Howard,  it became obvious that it was his decision which was keeping the kid in Gitmo ( see recent German scandal, it is becoming apparent around the world that the inmates' home countries are often complicit in their imprisonment at Gitmo).

...

The way that Hicks' release from Gitmo has been engineered to make it appear as if the p*** were justified in keeping him locked up has upset australians even more.  That is his guilty plea is being interpreted as proof he was/is tortured.  The response, which is to insinuate that if he wasn't actually guilty but said he was just to get out so therefore can be charged with perjury, if he does sue his way out of jail once he gets back to Oz, is playing even worse with Australians who are now firmly of the opinion that he deserves a 'fair go'.

There is nothing that Howard or the [U.S.] can do.  Any attempt they make to twist reality will now be seen as such and Howard is unable to do the only thing which can relieve the pressure which is bring the kid home and let him go, preferably with a couple of hundred grand to get back on his feet.

If he brings Hicks home before the Australian election the habeas corpus suit to free Hicks because whatever he signed was signed under duress; will begin in a maximum of publicity.  If he leaves Hicks in Gitmo until after the election people will go crazy while the opposition will be able to make an election promise to bring Hicks home.

The australian media is already rushing around trying to justify what has happened to Hicks but that won't work either.  people who live in the nation that engendered Rupert Murdoch have learned to disbelieve what their media tells them.  this is kind of complex and goes to the heart of the dissident australian psyche, it seemed for a time that australian middle classes had become as gullible as bourgeoisie elsewhere, but I spent some time in Oz over the summer and the resurgence of the old distrust of the establishment is quite astounding.

Nothing will save Howard ,so the only question is whether Rudd is on the level or if he is just another a****.  Unfortunately I suspect the latter is the case.

The strenuous efforts to dress up proceedings cannot disguise the fact that the entire affair is a legal charade designed to justify the Bush administration's phony "war on terror." The plea bargain itself smacks of a dirty deal between Washington and Canberra. One of its key aims is to bolster the fortunes of the Howard government in upcoming national elections later in the year by wiping the issues of David Hicks and Guantánamo Bay off the political agenda. ...

Major elements of the plea deal are specifically designed to muzzle Hicks in the lead up to the Australian election. He cannot speak to the media for a year and, following that period, must hand over to the Australian government any proceeds he earns from telling his story. Referring to the barbaric feudal practice used to silence opponents, Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, told the New York Times: "It is a modern cutting out of his tongue." ...

The 31-year-old Australian has complained of maltreatment and clearly bears the signs of psychological, if not physical, torture. Nevertheless, as part of the plea deal, he has been compelled to declare that he has "never been illegally treated by any persons in the control or custody of the United States." He has also been required to give an undertaking that he will not sue the US government for any illegal treatment. The very fact that the Pentagon made a point of insisting on these clauses indicates that it has flouted international law and maltreated Hicks and other prisoners.

Why would the US gov't put together such an agreement, including a surprisingly light sentence (he could have gotten life, not a mere 9 months), if Hicks' complaints about abuse by US authorities weren't legit, based on fact?

Abuse, and illegality of torture, will be an ongoing issue affecting case after case of accused Gitmo prisoners.

I mean you are talking about your blog, aren't you??

Under his plea deal, the 31-year-old forfeited the right to appeal or sue the US government and he agreed to a 12-month gag preventing him from speaking with media