CANBERRA, Australia (CNN) -- Australian Prime Minister John Howard Monday stood by his comments a day earlier in which he said a victory by U.S. Sen. Barack Obama and his Democratic party in America's next presidential election would be a boon for terrorists.

Speaking to Australia's ABC News Radio, Howard said his comments were aimed at the Illinois Democrat's plan to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq in March 2008.

"What I have done is to criticize Senator Obama's views on a particular issue and I don't retreat in any way from that criticism," Howard said. "I think if America is defeated in Iraq that will be catastrophic for the West and it will have tremendously adverse consequences for Australia."

He blasted his critics for being hypocritical.

"Apparently it's all right for people in the (opposition) Labor Party to regularly criticize the Bush administration's policy on Iraq -- and they do that almost on a daily basis," Howard said. "Yet my criticism of the policy position of somebody who is not president -- and is not even the Democratic candidate for the presidency -- that is interfering in American politics and is absolutely to be forbidden."

Some of Howard's critics have suggested that the prime minister's close alliance with U.S. President George Bush has distorted his judgment -- a criticism he brushed aside.

White House aides expressed surprise over Howard's criticism of Obama, but one official weighed in with support for the Australian leader:

"Prime Minister Howard knows that setting a timeline for a withdrawal sends the wrong signal to our enemies."

Related: Obama hits back after Australian PM slams his Iraq stance