#382 - More News from Down Under: Thanks President Buckaroo, but You’re Not Helping

From the BBC News website, "Bush hails 'sheriff' Australia":

Mr Bush was asked by an Australian newspaper whether he agreed with Australian Prime Minister John Howard's comment in 1999 that his country was the US' "deputy sheriff".

Mr Bush promptly gave Australia a promotion.

"No. We don't see it as a deputy sheriff. We see it as a sheriff," he told the paper.

This has, not surprisingly, raised a fuss in Southeast Asia:

Malaysian's Deputy Defence Minister Shafie Apdal hit out at the comments on Thursday.

"I suppose America wants a puppet of its own in this region whom they can trust who will do whatever they wish," he told The Associated Press.

"We are quite capable of handling our own security," he added.