Given Kevin's renowned capacity to hold a grudge, and initial refusal to have anything to do with Julia's campaign, it was not expected that he would have much focus in the campaign.

However, with Labor in trouble and much of it in Queensland, the rumours were circulating that it would only be a matter of time before the Labor apparatchik read him the riot act. The rumours are that he was told that if he wanted any role in the party at all he would have to extol the virtues of Labor under JG, and grin and bear it.

We now see KR dragged out and paraded around like an obedient puppy. His humiliation is now complete.

They may have offered him cash.

Or maybe they knew he went for a private show Scores, and mentioned they might have a quiet word to Therese.

It reminds me of when The Rodent and Captain Smirk appeared next to each other on the couch last election.

I think it is difficult to hold an informed opinion on this from the outside. Think back to Rudds performance and conduct along with the various mutterings made public about his style and you'd have to think someone along the way must have tried to pin him down and get him to change. Along came that fateful day and we are told he did not see it coming. Julia becomes PM after being dragooned by others for a challenge. Anyone who has any experience working with others will tell you that no-one ever got anywhere by ignoring dissent or other opinion. Rudd had to go. The problem has now developed whereby people think they voted for him (we dont caucus does) and their intests have been ignored. Perhaps being voted out of office would have made those people happy. The best thing that Rudd can do is support Gillard gracefully like other deposed leaders have done and focus on policy and the future. I think too the media have done a poor job in focusing on ego's and personalities to the exclusion of policy. We all have been sorely used by this latest in 'modern politics'. But I'd take Labor over Libs anyday if I had to vote for them.

I find it amusing that anyone who was upset by the ousting of Kevin Rudd would now be thinking of voting for Tony Abbott. What is it revenge on the Labor party? Hardly a rational way of choosing who to vote for.

I am impressed Kevin is staying on and he will make a great foreign minister. It is good to see a demoted politician who doesn't spit the dummy and storm off the political stage. At least a career as a politician seems to mean something to K Rudd. Unlike say one P Costello who lazed around for a year or two sucking on the taxpayer teat before finally having to be pushed into the oblivion he so richly deserved.

Who knows maybe Ruddy can some day even make a comeback. Julia is not god and she could get sick or hit by a bus, or up the duff and who else is there? Shorten, Crean, Albanese, Garret, Mckew? They dont even come close.
I could see the Australian public, in their perversity, turning round and telling pollsters how much they really liked ruddy and that he should come back.
It would be a laugh if Julia just scrapes in in the election only to have Rudd back a few months later for whatever reason.
Stranger things have happened.

sleepy lizard "whereby people think they voted for him"

Technically only the people in his electorate voted for him but I still see the occasional Keven07 sticker around.

Clearly the Labor party went to a great deal of effort to get people thinking that they were voting for Kevin just as this time round they are trying to get people to think they are voting for Julia.

It might be understandable if the Lib's would prefer people to think that they were voting for the party rather than Tony but I don't think that's because of a strong ethical stance.

R0bert

Kevin will get what he has lusted most for.ie a UN bureaucratic posting and his mirror of self importance.