Why Oh Why?

I couldn't decide what to write about today. It's not an especially newsworthy day. But two things stuck out as I scanned the headlines this morning.

First:
Sometime over the weekend, Australia's Prime Minister John Howard decided to poke his nose in U.S. presidential politics, specifically criticizing Barak Obama's position on Iraq. My somewhat half-assed Google search on "John Howard" with the names of present and past Democratic presidential contenders concluded that he has otherwise never commented on U.S. Democrats' position on anything. Despite the fact that he's known on his own soil and by his own admission as Deputy Sheriff to Bush, he normally doesn't meddle in U.S. domestic politics. So why now and why Obama? I think the answer is obvious. Obama showed his chops and replied:

"I would also note that we have close to 140,000 troops in Iraq and my understanding is Mr Howard has deployed 1,400," he said.

"So if he is...to fight the good fight in Iraq, I would suggest that he calls up another 20,000 Australians and sends them to Iraq, otherwise it's just a bunch of empty rhetoric."

I *heart* Barak Obama more and more each day.

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Second:
The NY Times email this morning featured a story on the-kid-who-plays-Harry-Potter's new West End side project. Pictures speak louder than words: http://www.equustheplay.com/pr/index.php

Actually, no the words are frightening too. The play is about a stable boy who is discovered to have unhealthy relationships with the horses he minds.