From Get Up!
Australia

A huge wave of change is sweeping the United States. George Bush's Republican Party has lost control of both houses of the US Congress. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, a worldwide symbol of the administration's catastrophic failure in Iraq, has resigned. President Bush's Iraq policy now clings by a thread - discredited and rejected at home and abroad.

So what now for Australia?
The American people have finally forced the Bush administration to face its failure in Iraq. But the Australian Government appears to have no Iraq policy at all, other than to blindly support Bush's sinking ship.

Tell John Howard it's time for an independent Australian foreign policy plan in Iraq, including a clearly defined exit strategy.

www.getup.org.au/campaign/DemandAustralianLeadership

As the months and years tick by, the Iraq war looks more like a never-ending nightmare. Independent reports estimate more than 500,000 Iraqis have been killed; millions are refugees. Experts warn civil war could soon pass the point of no return, while last month was one of the deadliest for Coalition troops since the war began.

As Australians, we have an obligation to do more than just wait for leadership from afar. Our Government must reclaim its independent foreign policy and moral responsibility for taking us to war in the first place, and John Howard must make it clear how much longer he plans keep Australian soldiers fighting George Bush's war without a workable plan for peace.

Help seize this critical moment in the global debate on Iraq to demand our Government think for itself, and give us real leadership. Tell John Howard he must no longer delay in setting out a plan for a new way forward, including a clearly defined exit strategy - and has until December 4, when Parliament concludes for the year, to deliver.

www.getup.org.au/campaign/DemandAustralianLeadership

Blind support has led us down a failed path. With America's future in Iraq open to debate like never before, Australians want an honest conversation with our Government, so we can find an honourable path forward - and home.

Thanks for taking action,
The GetUp team