The 1st "Lets have a group hug" awards.

Prime Minister John Howard will become the first Australian to receive a special public service award from the US government.

A Melbourne paper reports that it will be the first time the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service has been presented outside North America or Europe.
President George W. Bush has recorded a tribute to Mr Howard that will be shown at a dinner in Sydney tomorrow night, the paper says.

The director of the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars, Frederick Bush, said Mr Howard had been a good friend to America and the US president had recorded a "very friendly message to John Howard and the people of Australia for their support".

Mr Lowy, whose Lowy Institute for International Policy is taking a key role in understanding US-Australia relations, will receive the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship.
The dinner will be preceded by a seminar, US and China: Cooperation, Competition or Conflict?

news.com.au

Don't you just love the "top end of town"

Sanc'.

the US president had recorded a "very friendly message to John Howard and the people of Australia for their support".

This is rubbish. The people of Australia support our American friends, the people of America. Not liars who reward weak arse kisser prime ministers who toe the line.

I reject the presidents message.

Or maybe our president is doing a little sucking up here. I can see where he might have a need to get that ego stroked. Says a lot that he's going to another country to get it.

A good day to ya'all in the land down under.

Wow, Im so glad we live in a world with such great, friendly, happy-smiley, cooperative leaders...