RPG is a little Johnny fanboy you can't expect him to think clearly. It seems the rest of us including the Libs were asleep for John's sorry speech back in 2001. RPG care to put up the text for that one? I to found Obama speech great but as has been pointed out American and Americans are different. They love speeches and debating, where we tend not to. I also get an uneasy feeling when a large group are chanting a slogan.
Keating in full flight was very entertaining. I seem to remember he said once when Johnny tried to hurl some abuse across the chamber at him. He said it was like getting flogged with a wet lettuce.

Nice article!
I think most Australians are somewhat suspicious of rhetoric as it tends to be used well only by sales people and politicians. In both cases it pays to have BS detector on high.
Good rhetoric makes an audience come together and share the speaker's mind, but not all rhetoric is so neutral. Mr Howard's "Dog Whistle" speeches which catered to various disagreeable opinions without actually saying the objectionable things outright.
This schoolyard tactic was a remarkably effective way of generating division and waging cultural war without reprisal. This "Dog Whistling" is a good example of good tactical rhetoric which is fundamentally dishonest.
All in all good rhetoric is fine so long as it is used in conjunction with an honest intellect and agenda. When people *think* in rhetoric the troubles begin...

Kenny – I’m actually not that enamored with PM John Howard, but I do respect officeholders and their achievements, unlike Howard Haters who just seem to hate for the sake of it. There were things in those years I disliked and still do, AWB and much more.

I see no reason to disparage the parliament or the coalition for their reaction to the “Bringing them home report” even though now it seems it was mightily biased. (Note: The current government is also ignoring most of the recommendations of that report.)

The speech, which was not a formal apology but an expression of regret (look up “regret” in a dictionary, please do) was read in Parliament, probably not reported in the media you possibly favor, and I quote “expressed ‘deep and sincere regret’ for unspecified past injustices as part of a Motion of Reconciliation" on 26 August 1999.

There is not room for the speech here; anyway, you can look it up yourself in Hansard. I think only you were asleep actually. The speech didn’t attempt to embarrass anyone either, unlike PM Rudd’s speech of sorrow (delivered like an accountant reading his tax return) which will be forever remembered for the disgraceful actions of his staff in disrespecting an elected member of parliament in the opposition leader, Brendan Nelson – so any pride Australians might have felt was certainly soiled by the deliberate and obviously planned childish little display.

Hatred of PM John Howard seems to cloud rational thinking – get over it, move on. Speaking of a lack of respect, PM Keating, the ALP disowned him for many years, or were you asleep for that as well?