Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you. In fact, I was misrepresented egregiously. Yesterday, on Afternoon Briefing, the shadow minister for defence, Senator Paterson, claimed in an interview with Radio National Breakfast that I made—and I'll quote Senator Paterson—'strange and factually incorrect observations'. He said:

For example, he said that the Iraq war was launched in the lead-up to midterm elections in the United States, as this was. Well, actually, the Iraq War commenced in 2003 after the midterm elections, in the lead up to a presidential election …

I'm sorry that wasn't grammatically very good, but that's what he said. Senator Paterson may not have been listening closely enough because, if he listens back, he'll find that I clarified. I'll quote myself now:

Back in 2003, that was just after the 2002 congressional midterm elections when the Republicans had really beaten the drums of war and they did well in those congressional midterms. But by that stage they were on an inevitable course to have the conflict.

Now, given that Senator Paterson was a minor at the time, he may not have been paying as close—

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