Pay-To-Play

[lederhosen]

When the USA asked for aid in the war on Iraq, Australia was among the first to volunteer, offering special forces troops and fighter aircraft. Afterwards, George W. Bush made a special point of thanking Australia for its contribution.

And now, as part two of that thank-you, Australia is being billed for the cost of the bombs the RAAF dropped at the USA's behest.

http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/printpage/0,5942,6505693,00.html

(Admittedly, the amount involved is a very small part of the total costs of the Australian contribution, but it's the principle that bugs me.)

Comments

[ex-cerebrate131.livejournal.com]

These would be, if I'm reading said story aright, bombs bought from private companies? (Am assuming so given that everything *else* mentioned in the article seems to be.)

Am vaguely boggled that any of this seems unusual in any way.

[lederhosen.livejournal.com]

My understanding, which may be in error, is that these bombs came from US military stocks. Presumably the USAF or whoever bought them from private companies at some point, but they were US Govt. property.

The USA asked the RAAF to drop these things on Iraq (I presume the RAAF's own munitions weren't suitable for whatever reason). We did so, and we're now being billed for them.

Maybe I'm missing something, but that seems akin to asking your neighbours over to put out a fire and then billing them for the use of your water.

In the grand scheme of things it's not a big deal on its own, but there've been several other incidents that suggest that the US takes Australia's commitment very much for granted. Some of them trivial - Australian officers ended up having to conduct press conferences in the carpark outside a brand-new media briefing centre because the US wouldn't lend them a single room. Some of them not-so-trivial, like slapping a 30% tariff on Australian steel the same week Australia committed special forces troops to the campaign in Afghanistan. Eventually they start to create an impression of ingratitude.

[theonementat.livejournal.com]

We could have paid this war off already if we had sold it on Pay-Per-View.

[madcatapult.livejournal.com]

Dubbya VERSUS Saddam, tonight, only on Pay Per View!!

Two man enter, one man leave!