Dubya joined me in Canberra last night (in a manner of speaking), but I have yet to see this obvious headline used in any newspapers. Security is tight. F-18s are buzzing overhead. I’m used to that from living in the flight path of Davis-Monthan AFB back in Tucson. There, sorties go out several times a day to further harrass the prickly pears on the Barry M. Goldwater Bombing Range out in the southwestern part of the state, flying over my department on the way. Low-flying A-10s really bring the concept of “air superiority” home.

Back in Canberra, we were walking around Lake Burley Griffin yesterday evening and saw a boat of navy frogmen inspecting the underside of the Commonwealth Avenue bridge, presumably looking for explosives, as Bush’s motorcade would have had to drive over it to get to Parliament House and the U.S. embassy. Personally, I’d be more worried that his drivers would get lost on Canberra’s carefully planned road system which consists of elegantly interlocking giant roundabouts, some of which are inside other even larger roundabouts.