Take George W Bush….

Or more to the point please keep him! The recent phone call from George to John Howard was to advise that the Prez is planning an extra two days in Sydney for the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit, further disrupting the city and adding millions of dollars to the cost.

This is a city where Bill Clinton can still wander around with minimal disruption to anyone, attracting adoring fans being the biggest problem. Not so George, it seems. A major security program, including lane closures on the busiest trunk routes over the now extended period.

Fortunately George isn’t up for election in Australia; but his little holiday will do little for US/Australian relations. It won’t do much for Howard’s standing either, but he can’t really do much to harm himself more.

If I were Howard, or even Rudd, I would be inviting Bill over for a pre-election tour of the country. Some disruptions are welcome and embraced and Clinton would give a real boost to whichever leader hosted him. So if the US wants a holiday from a major political personality at least be sensitive to our sensitivities.