Rift Gone; Smugness remains

Well, this is nice. John Howard has visited Bnda Aceh and declared the rift between Australia and Indonesia over.
According to ninemsn news he said:
"The whole response to the tsunami has been a reminder of the common humanity that we all share ... when you have tragedy you forget differences.
"You forget differences of race, or religion, of ethnicity, of nationality, the uniform you wear. The only aim you have in a sense is to deliver comfort and assistance."

Well, there's nothing like a big tragedy to relieve middle class guilt and make us forget that there is an Australian citizen on death row in Indonesia.

Way to go, Mr. Howard. Boy, I feel proud to be an Australian.

(Ok, that's cynical. We have helped a lot of people. So, how about one more? Or would that make that sublimated tension between cultures that doesn't exist anymore come to a head? Hey, cynicism, what are you doing in this bracket?)

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=36983