"If anything had been obvious over the last 3 years, it is that Kevin Rudd was only interested in being a member of parliament if it meant leading the parliament."

Not in the Jim Hacker sense...

"It's the peoples' will. I am their leader; I must follow them."

Now if you'd said, "...that Kevin Rudd was only interested in being a member of parliament if it meant commanding the parliament."

I might have agreed.

As a nation we are noted for our self-deprecating sense of humour and it is only to be expected that arrogance is its antithesis. So arrogance needs to be well concealed to succeed... usually in politics its overwhelming hubris prevents this.

Sorry Jed, you have too much interest in your words, & not enough in the point I assume you were trying to make. Do you actually have a point, or was this just a vehicle to sprout words.

The only bit I could remember by the finish of dredging through the all the words was the Rudd was a "bastard" quote.

You didn't have to fill all that space to say that. In fact you didn't have to say it at all, we all knew he was a "bastard".

You could have just said he was a dumb B, & saved a lot of time.

Jeb, you may not know it but Rudd is dead, buried and cremated according to that wondrous wordsmith of suppository fame, Tony Abbott!

We are now witnessing the unbelievable blunderings and triple-pikes and clown antics of the Abbott circus in case you didn't know.

Perhaps you could write about something that is topical rather than distastefully raking over Rudd's corpse?

Well, we “average citizens” have got it wrong again; when most of us, including Kevin Rudd’s party ‘allies’ thought he was the weirdest, most self-centred and out of control politician we have ever experienced, we should really been “applauding” him.

And, damn it all, our egalitarian Australianism prevents us from ‘reasoning’ through arrogance! When we hear a “superior tone”, we should be quiet and listen: as long as the user of that superior tone doesn’t try to obfuscate.

Not having seen the Hitchens interview, I cannot comment on his lack of obfuscation but, after enough of Rudd’s blather to last several lifetimes, I and other “average citizens" can vouch that he obfuscated non-stop; nothing was clear or understandable.

Rudd certainly had “ideological conviction”, but “intellectual integrity”, or integrity of any kind actually displayed in his actions, well….”. If he was, as the author claims, “planning for a life outside of politics” while his playing politics ruined Australia, integrity is not a word which should be used to describe Kevin Rudd.

As for remembering Rudd only for his Rudd: well what else is there to remember?

Sorry: only for his arrogance, not his Rudd.

"It was the style rather than the contents of his governance that brought about its downfall." Oops Sorry Jed, you have that about 180 degrees in the opposite direction. 'We the people' wouldn't give a damn if he was a "bastard", if he had governed effectively with policies that were sensible, who cares what sort of person he was, we didn't have to work with him. Move the Navy to 'Brissie'.... Sheesh! The man was a nutter.

Really who cares. Just more of the leftie labor navel gazing drivel. Keep it up. It only hurts them.
The article isn't relevant to anyone other than the labor dinosauers.

The OLO right winger contibutors won the Federal election, and they are still whinging. Somebody give them red meat !!

Philistine arguments. Jed I think you write a cogent argument and I 'like' the arguments that you put forth. Some people will not agree as is their right in an open democracy. I thank-god someone has written an article that explores the depth, complexity and intelligence that Kevin Rudd brought to the platform. One day we may ponder over why we didnt handle this better. Arrogance! Bring it on. If out of that we have better direction, better policy and better understanding. Paul Keating is arrogance personified but didnt he change our political landscape. Nice work Jed and thank-you.

Arrogance and ego are essential personality traits for politicians and Rudd had plenty of both.

However those still around, like Shorten, Abbott, Pyne and Turnbull (in particular) still have theirs constantly on display for all to see.

I can't see what the issue is here.