re: political interference
Not sure why this would raise any more hackles than the countless examples of foreign leaders crapping on Bush all the time. Is that considered "political interference?"
You can bet this would not have been a controversy if Howard had made a speech about how Bush was ruining everything prior to the 2004 election.
What he said was still correct. Our enemies are dearly hoping for a Democratic victory in 2008, although probably not specifically Obama.