Rudd Win in Australia

I note this morning by way of Memeorandum, that Australia has condemned itself to a labor government.  I suspect that by the time they figure out how badly they succeeded and damaging themselves will be too late.  The Belmont Club gives us a rather ominous sign:

 The mood among the Labor supporters pretty much resembles that of Pelosi’s supporters after their Congressional win.

Given the rather remarkable failure of Mrs. Pelosi and company, that does not bode well for Australia, a point even Belmont Club mentions:

The chances are we’ll be looking at Kevin Rudd reprising Nancy Pelosi. The end of the Howard era may be a good thing in the end. Labor will ultimately provide the energy for its own downfall, as the Liberals (Howard’s party) did theirs.

It is not, however, something there that the leftist  numbskulls here in the states are going to be crowing about, as Liz Keenan, by way of Michelle Malkin, explains;

 The new P.M. is likely to go Howard’s way on foreign policy, too. What he described as “fundamental differences” with Howard — his vows to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on climate change and pull troops from Iraq — are largely symbolic. Though Australia is outside the Kyoto regime, the country has met its emissions targets. And on the question of a successor treaty to Kyoto, Rudd in mid-campaign abruptly took the Howard position: a Labor government would not ratify Kyoto II unless it required China and India to limit their emissions. On Iraq, Rudd has moderated Labor’s earlier “pull-out-now” policy. He says he will bring home the 1,400 Australian troops in Iraq and the Gulf gradually, in a “negotiated, staged withdrawal.” He is prepared to send more troops to Afghanistan.

The article from Keenan closes on an interesting comment:

As exultant Labor voters — “Eleven and a half years is just too long,” many said of Howard’s long run — cheered Rudd’s victory speech, some observers wondered whether he’ll maintain his Howard-like demeanor or whether, as left-wing commentator Robert Manne said during the campaign, “When he gets into government, then we’ll begin to see the differences again.” Australians who voted Labor only when Rudd moved toward the center may be hoping those differences are not too startling.

Put another way,  Rudd had to act like somebody he is not… a centerist… to get into office.