Lovely refreshing point of view, John Tomlison! I just hope that you're right. Listening to John Howard over the years, I marvelled at his ability to twist things around: the Tampa thing was somehow the fault of the refugees. not a lie by the government. Asylum-seekers became "illegal immigrants" in the words of Howard, and the public and the media, even the ABC followed Howard's lead and used this incorrect term.
Then there was the Wheat Board scandal - Howard maneged quite successfully to blame this on the UN, in 2003, not on AWA deception, and government incompetence (or more likely deception, too).

Howard doesn't just twist the facts around, and use half-truths. He makes mantras out of lies. Have you noticed how often Howard speaks of "clen green nuclear energy", and includes it in "renewable" energy sources? Nuclear energy is neither clean, green, nor renewable.
My worry is that the public and the media will just continue to be conned. I hope that I'm wrong. Christina Macpherson www.antinuclearaustralia.com

The thing for NSW voters to remember at the coming State election is that a vote for Morris Iemma is a vote for John Howard later in the year. This is because there is a significant segment of the population that, although they may not like Howard very much, do not want one political party to run every government in the country.

Whoever is elected on 24th March will have to bring in many unpopular policies, and if the premier is Peter Debnam this would cause a backlash that would damage Howard. If the premier is Iemma this would help Howard retain office.

My money is on both incumbents being reelected.

Tin Tin and Pinocchia (the feminine equivalent of Pinocchio - the one with the pointy nose) are truly the Dream Team when they can inspire such a dream on the part of John Tomlinson. It is a dream worthy of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It is a dream driven by what he would wish the future to be.

I might share the wish, but I have little expectation that it will be fulfilled and I do not share the dream!

Rudd is a smart spin operator. He will rely on this as a major strategy to fight the next election. John congratulations on ur inaugural propogandist post. I suspect u are a recruted member of the Dream Team spin department. Hows ur mate Naomi doing.

Good article,having said that,I have written many letters about John Howard and what he was in the process of doing,destroying the lifes of the battlers and working class of Australia.So in short I am just waiting for him to name the date of the next federal election,when me and my working family can use the ballot box,with only one thing in my mind.John Howard your use by date has come,do me and my family a favour,get on your horse and ride into the sunset of Australian history

Even Queensland Liberal Senator George Brandis described Howard as a lying rodent, core and non-core promises, children overboard, WMD's the list is as long of your arm, the denial of climate change until the day after Bush's "State of the Union" speech, where Bush recognised climate change. Howard is yesterday's man, Rudd is the leader for the future.