Rubbish.

Howard will be remembered for keeping interest rates low. He'll be remembered for the unprecedented wealth the suburbs now enjoy. People might whinge about Howard, and curse him when he appears on TV... but they do it on their new plasma screens in air conditioned comfort.

Self interest rules our electorate and the fantasy that international relations and climate change will be the centre of the next election is ridiculous.

The Howard legacy will be charactersized as: full employment, the mineral boom, low interest rates and fixing the Murray.

Housing affordability, oil prices and the stock market are the danger areas for Howard.

Electors living in the thirsty cities watching their gardens wither and die under draconian water restrictions are interested in water policy.

There are a few disturbing stories around about the $10 billion water package. They are:

1. the money was allocated in the previous pre-election budget but not spent

2. currently the Murray Darling Basin costs the states $6 billion to manage, money that will now come from the federal government

3. the $10 billion will be shared amongst many water basins, not just the Murray Darling

4. currently state governments have to gain approvals from 5 seperate federal departments to spend on water infrastructure

The $10 billion water package is seriously underfunded and will be very effective at deflective the publics concern about the lack of vision shown by government

As much as I would like to concur with the author, I can't help but feel it's a little naive to assume Howard is out of this fight.
Rudd is still the underdog, and if previous elections have taught us anything, it is that Howard is the master of last minute populism.

Dear John,

You forgot one very long lasting memory that I for one will have and that is Howard's serious and deliberate concentration in ignoring Indigenous people and affairs.

Howard's determined effort to remove it from the national radar (along with Labor’s grateful acquiescence) was so effective that even you forgot it too.

Didn’t someone call it ‘disremembering’?

(Rudd, Howard, Latham, Costello, same dog, different haircuts:

I, like TurnRight Turn Left, am not as optimistic about the hoped-for change as the author is. I hope he is right, but I have too many reservations.
Arcticdog

Howard's recent swipe at Obama in mother land indicates that he has run out of rodent juice.

Obama's response was brilliant.

"If Prime Minister Howard truly believes what he says, perhaps his country should find its way to contribute more than just 1,400 troops so some American troops can come home,"