Women generally don't feel much affection for Peter,yet he has a track record and intellectual prowess to win the next election.The Achilles heel at the moment for Labor is their slavish adoration of the AGW theory and their economic ineptitude at both state and federal levels.I have no faith in the present Labor Party,since Wayne often looks like a frightened deer in the media spotlight.Wayne is often lost for words and Kevin is too busy polishing his international image for a future UN posting.

Kevin today blames the Howard Govt for the present economic problems,yet makes no mention of the $90 billion surplus the Howard Govt left,nor the $180 billion deficit[in today's terms]Labor left us with at the end of the Keating era.

Peter on camera indulges in too much flippant seemingly arrogant posturing.People don't know if this is the real Peter,or some cover up for a deeper insecurity.He does not reveal the genuine candid reality that his family knows.This is why there is so much distrust.Perhaps he needs some coaching on camera presentation and save his rapier wit for parliament where he is both entertaining and extremely effective.

All pollies have to distort the truth since they are appealing to an electoral market that does not have perfect knowledge or necessarily intelligent design.It is all about having the widest appeal even if the perceptions of the electorate at large are out of touch with reality.It is a difficult juggling act at the best of times.Brendan Nelson recently made the mistake of being honest about his climate change skeptism,since the electorate have yet to hear the recent scientific facts via the popular media.

I don't know if Peter Costello is a nice bloke whom I'd like to have a beer with,or that he is an egocentric,arrogant genius.All I know is this;I'd like a leader who has the ability and experience that took us through the Asian crisis and the recession of 2000 which we hardly noticed,not a leader who has a multitude of committees and inquiries to find out what they should have been studying in 11 yrs in opposition

Seems more like a not-so-subtle dig at the Labor Party than an actual question.
Not that I have a particular affection for the Labor Party, though in my view your rosier outlook of the Liberals isn't warranted. Given the economic situation Howard enjoyed courtesy of our mineral wealth and our established favourable relationship with the world powers of China and the USA, neither of which fare better or worse under Labor, I think you give Costello far too much credit, and frankly Rudd hasn't been given enough time to prove whether he's better or worse as a financial manager.
On other measures he's proven to strike a chord with Australians. Some may wish to chalk that up to PR, instead of acknowledging that perhaps some of the calls he's made were the right ones, as opposed to Howard's.

Howard and Costello's previous stints in opposition were no better than Rudd's, albeit longer and without much to show for it except more examples of the kind of ongoing incompetence that plagues the State Liberals. It's a wonder they managed to get their act together to win an election.
When they first came to government, they were just as untested, so Arjay, you'll forgive me if I dismiss your clear favouritism for the Liberals and hatred for Labor.

As to the question on Costello, the question is not whether he should reinvent his persona, that's too easy. The answer is undoubtedly yes, if he is indeed planning a comeback. The clear perception is that he lacked the ticker to make a challenge, and he always came off as someone who whined from the sidelines. The ongoing sniping at Howard without a clear challenge isn't exactly an example of leadership material.

The real question is, can he? My answer is a clear: 'I sincerely doubt it' but funny things happen during election campaigns.

TRTL: << Seems more like a not-so-subtle dig at the Labor Party than an actual question >>

Indeed. In fact, virtually every discussion that Arjay starts seems like a rehash of this Liberal loser theme.

Boring.

Yes Arjay is very much on song, his song.
And the chances of anyone leading his mob to victory in the next election is zero.
However the question needs addressing.
If Peter had replaced the demented dwarf before the last election we would have seen a total remake.
We may still if he gathers the juice to take the leadership.
Howard in his support for Nelson, seems to be saying not Costello.
He however for the time being seems the only answer.
But how many of us can forget that sneer?

“…yet he has a track record and intellectual prowess to win the next election.”

What? (:>0

Arjay, I haven’t seen Costello exhibit any such thing. He made some attempts to be seen in the media to have broader interests than just fiscal policy and the like, but it totally failed to convince me that he has any genuine interest, let alone any particular knowledge or skills, in anything else at all!

Can he reinvent his public persona? Possibly. But it would be seen as just that; a public persona, as false as his smile on the odd occasion when he went baby-kissing in front of the cameras!

He had many years right in the public spotlight. If he couldn’t appeal to the masses then, he won’t be able to now.

“All pollies have to distort the truth since they are appealing to an electoral market that does not have perfect knowledge…”

I don’t believe for a moment that politicians have to distort anything. I admire Nelson for being frank. His problem was not his frankness but his expression of a point of view that his party didn’t hold or that wasn’t policy.

No doubt Costello would be a distorter of enormous proportions.

I think Costellos self exile to the back bench is a loss for both the Liberal party and the country.

I, personally, never rated him as a possible prime minister

but I do rate him for more than he is presently doing

and may be, in the adversity of opposition,

he might look upon this time as an opportunity to develop that part of him which is needed to lead the Liberals into the next election and hopefully victory over the "swill".