Lapdog, I think Abbott has had some poor advice today and could have put the issue to bed within a couple of days.
Unfortunately by not issuing a public apology on behalf of Australia and giving some simple assurances, the issue is likely to be around for weeks or even longer, just festering into a bigger issue and causing peripheral issues.
The Indonesian people and government need the apology to save face, and require the apology before they will be able to move on.
I don't know if Abbott can backtrack from what he said today or not, or if he has a different strategy to resolve the issue.
But politics should be put aside and as Australia's PM, Abbott should be given the support and opportunity to try and resolve this issue as quickly as possible.
