More bilge from Kevin Andrews

Just when it looked like Kevin Andrews couldn't get more contemptible, he finds a new way to make himself seem unlikeable and stupid, making another snide comment designed to suggest Haneef has something to hide:

Haneef has been protesting his innocence. There's an appeal on foot.
Normally people stay around to see the outcome of their appeal. (1)

Normally, people don't get arrested on spurious charges and have false allegations made against them by the police either, but lets put that to one side for now. Haneef also has a new born daughter, though I expect, at any moment, Andrews will claim her existence is a ruse. Andrews is either very stupid, or thinks we are, if he thinks people to agree with him when he suggests that wanting to be with your family, after what Haneef has been through, is unreasonable.

This sort of arrogance and total contempt for how mere normal people think or feel isn't surprising. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer captured the attitude of the Howard government throughout this affair rather well, though unintentionally, when he equated simply saying 'We screwed up, we're sorry about that' to grotesque abasement:

And foreign minister Alexander Downer has scoffed at calls for the Australian
government to apologise after the charge against Dr Mohamed Haneef was dropped.

"What do you expect them to do - fall on the ground and grovel, eat dirt? I mean, get real,'' he told reporters at Sydney airport. (2)

Yeah, it might be nice to see that, actually, if only for novelty value. Though a simple apology would do as well. But Howard and his cohorts aren't renowned for saying sorry to people of colour (3), so I'm not holding my breath.

1 - "No regrets over Haneef case: Andrews," unattributed Press Trust of India article reproduced on NDTV, 5th of August, 2007. (http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070021537)
2 - "PM sticks by besieged Andrews,"by Sid Marris, Matthew Franklin and Patrick Walters in The Australain, 30th July, 2007. (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22155705-601,00.html)
3 - "Howard rebuked over Aborigines,"unattributed Reuters article, reproduced on tvnz website, 22nd May 2001. Yes, I know it is old, but somethings don't change, do they? (http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/425822/40903)