Bob, thanks for your clear explanation of the US political parties. I remember you've explained that before, and I for one took note.

Though not so clearly defined here, there are moderates in both the ALP and the Lib Coalition, and similarly, one is too easily targeted as right or left.. For example, Andrew Bolt is targeted as extreme right by his enemies and the ill informed who only see what they want to see. If they were to read all of his writings, they would see that is not true. He even said on radio just yesterday he is friends with Albanese (errk!), Bowen and one or two others in the ALP.

It is a shame that so many people base their vote on 30 sec tv grabs, or headlines.

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PlanB, Howard may or may not have become sneaky...politically smart maybe. But what about our current PM who stands on the church steps on Sunday morning for his weekly press conferences, and behind the scenes , as it is becoming clearer by the day that he has a very vile temper, swears like a trooper, flip flops on policies from one week to the next.

Huge numbers of the PM's staff have left because they can't work for him.

And what about the post I put up elsewhere re the hospital staff being COERCED into not speaking up about what they really think of his so called health plan.

Similarly to Obama, though not as publicly, he is very unpopular within his own party, and decent Labor people of which there are many, are secretly embarrassed.

I never ever heard one word about Howard in his eleven year term, swearing or losing his temper...and you can bet the house on it, the media would have been right on to it if he had.

Yes I am sure the media would have been right onto it --however Howard became far to egotistical and away from the working persons interests. He also sold off Telstra and never spent any money on things we needed--he brought in GST when he promised --it would NEVER happen--he gave us a lousy $1000 when pensions should have got a 10% rise when the GST was brought in. He was a very smart polly--far too smart for his own good it proved.



Maybe Rudd does swear--does loose his temper--I think we all would if we had the pressures he has had since he got in. Howard had th easy years