Former prime minister John Howard says he was touched to receive the US Medal of Freedom from President George W Bush at the White House this morning.
Mr Bush personally awarded the medal to Mr Howard for his support for peace, freedom and human rights.
“He is a man of honesty, and moral clarity … he can make a decision and he can defend it and he stands his ground,” Mr Bush said. “That’s why I callled him a man of steel.”
Mr Howard says he is very pleased to have received the honour.
“I certainly appreciated it, and I felt honoured and I felt touched,” he said.
“There were some very kind things said about me. But I do, nonetheless, put it in the broader context of it being a compliment to my country.”
Thanks to John Howard’s steadfastness (he was the object of his own country’s version of Bush Derangement Syndrome) and determination to roll back The Jihad, quite a lot of terrorists’ last glimpses of Australians looked something like this.

















Comment by Dan Collins on 1/13 @ 7:23 pm #
Hear, hear!
Comment by Jeffersonian on 1/13 @ 7:43 pm #
I was working with an ex-SAS a guy when the Bali bombers struck, killing scores of Aussie tourists. He hadn’t heard the news at that time. He pursed his lips, looked down at the floor and said, “Ya doon’t fook…with the Ostrile-yuns.” John Howard is one reason why.
Comment by Bob Reed on 1/13 @ 7:45 pm #
At least we had one ally that understands the dangers of Islamo-fascism…
Comment by dre on 1/13 @ 7:54 pm #
?
Comment by Mikey NTH on 1/13 @ 8:14 pm #
The Diggers are good friends, and terrifying enemies.
Comment by MAJ (P) John on 1/13 @ 10:09 pm #
The Australians I have worked with (Army and civilian) have generally been damned good people – I think PM Howard was a fairly good reflection of that.
I rather liked Mr. Howard’s “Now is not the time to be an 80% ally”…
Comment by Patrick Carroll on 1/13 @ 11:21 pm #
Love the Ozzies. I think they’ve been stabbed in the back by the fecklessness of Bush and Rice.
Comment by lee on 1/14 @ 1:11 am #
Say what now…?
Comment by Joe on 1/14 @ 8:10 am #
If only this “man of steel in his own mind” would leave Sarah Palin alone and focus his true talents and powers on Osama Bin Laden