Mr Denmore is right to challenge Cornflower’s assessment that the “Australian population is not entirely convinced that Mr Howard has taken his initiative solely for political advantage”. Polls show that they are cynical – and rightly so.

Having been caught flat-footed throughout the first six months on 2007, and with shocking polls, Howard has become increasingly desperate. His $10 billion water scheme was rushed out without even going to Cabinet; he manipulated the Hicks return; he’s played the compulsory History card; he tried a ‘fairer’ version of WorkChoices. Nothing seems to be working for him.

Bruce Haigh reminds us that in his 33 years in Parliament (1974-2007) and in the face of countless reports, Howard has said nothing in parliament in support of the rights of Indigenous Australians. In four terms as PM, Howard has starved indigenous health, education and housing of funds, abolished ATSIC and marginalised the Aboriginal Affairs portfolio.

Then mid-2007 he suddenly discovers an ‘emergency’. But why has it failed to bite in the electorate? The timing, of course and his track record. And his hypocrisy: Howard’s feigned distress for the “wasted years of childhood” for Indigenous children stands in stark contrast to his heartlessness when he stole the childhood years of hundreds of incarcerated refugee children. Howard had many reputable reports on the emotional and psychological damage his policy was having on refugee children; but he was cold and unyielding.

Many Australians also see Howard doing a big favour for the mining industry which he has consistently served in public life for three decades by rolling back Aboriginal ownership of their tribal lands. No one including Howard and Brough has been able to explain why it is necessary to confiscate Aboriginal land to rescue children from sexual abuse. He didn’t take Catholic land when priests were convicted of child sexual abuse.

It’s cruel cynicism that he’s taking land under the hypocritical colours of humanitarianism expressed as sympathy for the Indigenous community he's ignored throughout his career.

No, Cornflower, the indigenous children are being used as a political football by Howard. And in his typically devious fashion, he has circumvented the possibility of any rational response by smearing critics of his strategy as sympathisers of abusers.

You have completely missed the point of Haigh's article. Howard has done this time and time again - orchestrated a dramatic, non-consultative response to an emotive issue in a bid to stymie debate and wedge those who would have an opposing viewpoint.

In this case, he has scraped the bottom of the barrel.

I don't see that Rudd allowed himself to be wedged at all.

It didn't take a genius to see that the Shock and Awe Aboriginal Children Rescue Operation was going to fizzle out as an election issue. Rudd initially agreed with it in principle, but asked for more detail. Of course, as with the Sock and Awe Water Rescue Operation, there wasn't any detail to be had.

There's no need for Rudd to square up to Howard on anything when Howard is doing such a fantastic job of spontaneously combusting all by himself.

This week alone Howard's had a seniors moment, even his best friend Denis Shanahan has conceded Bennelong is looking shaky, Kevvie has got The Parrott onside with his groceries thing and his MySpace adventure highlights Howard's technological ineptitude. All in one week.

Allowing himself to get drawn into Howard's bizzaro power fantasies would not be as productive for Rudd as leaving Howard to go on building his sandcastles below the tide line.

chainsmoker,
How eloquently you put that, tis music to my ears.

While sympathetic to the overall argument, this ‘clever-Howard’ trail that the author leads us along is becoming tired and predictable.

I’ve always been a sceptic about the ‘Howard, the clever politician’ label – which is tantamount to being a climate-change denier.

Howard is not a clever politician. He is a mediocre politician, well-served by a clever media

Meanwhile as Bruce writes his cynical piece, the children continue to be sexually and emotionally abused. No mention of the pathetic attempts or non attempts by State Labour governments to rescuse these kids. At least Mr Rudd has the decency to reconise the problem.