The CEO of White House Halliburton has finally left our shores. Richard Bruce Cheney, 66, wild game hunter of Casper, Wyoming, flew out of Mascot Airport this morning after two and a half days of what could be best described as a blatant violation of Australian sovereignty.

Laws bent so that his Secret Servicemen could carry loaded guns, large slabs of the Sydney CBD closed down whenever he was driven anywhere - even the Sydney Harbour Bridge was closed down at short notice when he took a totally unnecessary trip to John Howard's party house at Kirribilli. Not to mention some of the most bewildering doublespeak over that masterpiece of public-private partnership, the US war "effort" in Iraq.

And isn't it reassuring to be told that David Hicks will be allowed to do his time in an Australian prison once the formality of legally proclaiming him guilty is sorted out?

Hopefully that will be the last time Dick Strangelove darkens our doorstep. And hopefully questions will be asked - and indeed answered - in Federal Parliament this week: Why was he here? Why was he allowed to stay in the middle of the nation's biggest city and create untold disruption? Is he, or any vice-president, worth the trouble, not to mention the multi-million dollar public expense?

Report on Cheney's visit by Pip Hinman (the Socialist Alliance candidate for Marrickville on March 24) at Sydney Indymedia, which has some photos here. A quick search for "cheney sydney" on Youtube throws up 25 video clips to date.