Strippers and politicians

The Australian media is buzzing with the news that the Leader of the Oppostion, Kevin Rudd of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), visited a New York strip club when he was on a government-funded trip to the city in 2003 to observe the UN. The news was first reported, not surprisingly, by Rupert Mudoch’s papers also suggested that management cautioned Rudd about his behaviour. No one who was there would verify that version.

For his part, Rudd says he was “too drunk” to remember much about the visit, and that it was the second time he was drunk. Rudd, who is a conservative Christian, despite his Labor Party politics, had previously been viewed as being fairly wholesome. Queensland Premier Peter Beattie said this would show Rudd had "blood in his veins".

Rudd blames Foreign Minister Alexander Downer for the leak. While Downer didn’t deny the allegation, he said through a spokesman that he wouldn’t dignify the suggestion with a response.

Green Party Senator Bob Brown said:

Four years ago Kevin Rudd got drunk and took himself into a strip club. Four years ago John Howard, sober, took Australia into the Iraq war. I think the electorate can judge which one did the more harm.

Prime Minister John Howard, who has been courting right wing Christian voters lately, declined to comment on the matter, a tactic followed by others in his government.

If I were an Australian, I'd be more concerned that Rudd claimed to have been drunk only twice in his life, and that maybe John Howard hasn't been drunk nearly enough.