SYDNEY -- To hear some Southeast Asian leaders sound off lately, a casual observer might suspect Australia is about to invade Indonesia or Malaysia or even the Philippines. Such is the folly of listening to "news" as whipped up by audience-boosting television channels fed by headline-grabbing politicians.
Admittedly, this is the silly season when the media grab wildly for "hard news" while their usual sources are relaxing into end-of-year parties. Silly? It doesn't come much sillier when Southeast Asia and Australia start trading insults over pre-emptive military strikes and who is harboring the most terrorists.
That said, Australian Prime Minister John Howard must be feeling an urgent need for a yearend break. Our ever-so-correct leader has put foot in mouth and, worse to his critics, appears to have no intention of withdrawing it.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.