Photo: Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard (left) and President George W. Bush (right) at the APEC Meeting in Sydney, September 2007.
It was Sep. 7, 2007, Sydney, Australia: Everything is prepared for the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit, and on the eve before the meeting of the head of states, the APEC Business Summit took place in Sydney Opera House. Special guest for that event, chaired by the incumbent Australian Prime Minister John Howard (in office since 1996), was George W. Bush. What should have been a backing for John Howard and rallying support against an impending defeat in the general elections of Nov. 24, 2007, turned out to be an absolute Public Relations disaster, with the U.S. President’s notorious slip of the tongues, causing laughter and amazement among not only the listeners, but also the international press. The war in Iraq, and the Australian involvement proved more unpopular than ever in the country, thanks to George W. Bush. Neat less to say, Howard lost the general elections, and since then the Labour opposition, led by Kevin Rudd, has taken office since. Read the rest of this entry »
