We can easily get lost among the claims and counter claims by the Pro Gillard and Pro Rudd camps. Yet there are but two speeches that define the distinctions between the two. The first was Rudd's press conference before leaving New York. For me two things stood out. The first was his 'take' on the history of his prime minister ship. It would seem that he and he alone was responsible for all the outstanding achievements. No mention of the fact that the nature of his governance undermined the capacity of Garrett to implement the home insulation programme. At the time he left Garrett out to dry even though the failure of the policy was a direct result of an inability to apply due diligence to the implementation of that policy -a Messiah who wants to only take the credit for the successes is a false prophet. I would also question whether or not we want to encourage any person who sees himself as the 'salvation" of the Australian people to take up residence anywhere than in the secure wing of a psychiatric ward.
Gillard's news conference focussed on the achievements of the Gillard team - we may have our disagreements about these achievements but at least we can accept that a leader who consults and works as a loyal team member is far more likely to have the interests of the country at heart than someone who sees himself as the centre of the universe.
Pity is of course that Abbott and Rudd appear to be cut from the same cloth - Australia faces a bleak future with either as prime minister.

I don't call a CO2 tax in the interest of our country when no one on the planet has implemented to the degree that Gillard Labor has.More manufacturing will more off shore.They think they can defy the laws of gravity and walk on water.That myth is about to be busted.

Baygon,
It begs the question how mindless are the supporters ?

Individual - true we need to take some responsibility for the quality of leadership. The messiah trend has been evolving for a while - Hawke, Keating and Howard all had it to varying degrees - that is why I found Gillard's response to Rudd refreshing; at least she was describing her role in terms of being a team leader, rather than some tin pot dictator. I fear that if Labor chooses Rudd then it will only serve to consolidate an unfortunate trend towards presidential style politics without the requisite checks and balances.

In his vision for an overpopulated Australia Rudd has shown himself unaware of a global crisis. In his placing of chaplains in the public schools in Queensland later extended to the whole country by Howard, Rudd has shown himself unaware that this is a multicultural society and inappreciative of the vision that the founders of an independent Australia showed in s. 116 of the Australian Constitution. In Queensland Scripture Union has supplied most of the chaplains. SU espouses a fundamentalism which corrodes the brain and counters the critical thinking which I think schools should encourage. It is quite a popular position to ignore uncontroled population growth and to further the interets of fundamentalist Christianity. I think it is also very stupid.

Davidf said;
In his vision for an overpopulated Australia Rudd has shown himself
unaware of a global crisis.

I disagree, it was his government that suppressed the BIRE 117 report
on fuel supply outlook. He is well aware of our precarious position in
fuel supplies.
Just to equal it out Gillard has not reversed that decision.
To think that our politicians are prepared to expose us to that sort
of risk without attempting to do anything about it or even to tell us
about the risk we face from the next couple of years ahead is enough
to put them out of government.
Tony Abbot does not escape that either as I am fairly certain that
he has been made aware also.

If you want to check here is the report.
http://aie.org.au/StaticContent/Images/Report_120106.pdf
Here is the mention of the report;
http://www.aspo-australia.org.au/

The report was first put up on the government web site but removed
shortly after. A French journalist obtained a copy and put it up on
a French web site from where ASPO obtained it.

I really don't know which PM would be worse or better for that matter.
Frankly from our point of view I don't think it will make much
difference.
As far as Tony Abbot goes, he has been assailed by the labour machine
for some time, eg, it will be dreadful if he became PM etc etc.

I just wonder if all that rhetoric is just that.
So the choice for me is Rudd, Gillard or Abbot.

ps We are paying Tapis Oil price of $132.92 a barrel today.