The Monday Melee

Today's Monday Melee - brainchild of fracas - comes in the aftermath of the APEC Australia 2007 Business Summit. After having it shoved in my face for the past week, I might as well write about it.

1. The Misanthropic: Name something you absolutely hate.
"Our commitment to Iraq remains," pledged Howard, one of Bush's few remaining staunch war allies. "This is not the time for any proposals of a scaling down of Australian forces."

2. The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent or bogus.
"Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your introduction. Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit." --George W. Bush, addressing Australian Prime Minister John Howard at the APEC Summit, Sept. 7, 2007

3. The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.
"As John Howard accurately noted when he went to thank the Austrian troops there last year..." --George W. Bush, referring to Australian troops as "Austrian troops," APEC Business Summit, Sept. 7, 2007

4. The Meritorious: Give someone credit and name it if you can.
"The Chaser's bogus motorcade of two black vans, a hire car, two very unofficial looking motorcycles and jogging security heavies remained undetected until Morrow and Licciardello got out of their car outside Mr Bush's hotel, where police grabbed them."

"The Government has made the point time and time again that we've got the most serious, the biggest security operation in Australia's history. We've got 21 world leaders arriving in the city at the one time and it needs to be taken seriously." - New South Wales Police Minister David Campbell.

Ahem. This is Australia. Any opportunity to take the piss out of something and we will.

5. The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.
I'm laughing at the circus that has been going on in this country this past week.

6. The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.
"Firstly the need for a long-term aspirational global emissions reduction goal, and that is enshrined in the Sydney Declaration," Mr Howard said.

"Secondly the need for all nations, no matter what their stage of development, to contribute according to their own capacities and their own circumstances to reducing greenhouse gases."