=== Todays Toon ===
Obama could have kept on someone who had designed a winning strategy, but Obama had already undermined him. Probably Obama doesn't want to win, but keep the issue alive for political reasons, to suggest there is something only he can deal with. This foolishness is characteristic of Rudd's leadership too.
===Two Toons in one day !!! Historic. Australia has a new horse as PM from this two horse race. Sorry 'Ranga.
=== Bible Quote ===
“but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”- Isaiah 40:31=== Headlines ===
Gillard has sensationally ousted Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister after a historic caucus meeting this morning. Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan backed Ms Gillard at this morning's meeting. He is expected to be named her deputy, securing his job as Treasurer. There was no ballot, with Ms Gillard elected unopposed after Mr Rudd stood down. Earlier, other Labor MPs came out in support of Ms Gillard - including Peter Garrett, Stephen Smith and Kate Ellis. It came after key Labor powerbrokers last night moved on Rudd, telling Ms Gillard she had the numbers to win. But Mr Rudd made it clear he would not step aside and that his enemies would have to force him out. A grim-faced Ms Gillard confirmed she would stand in the leadership contest as she left Parliament House after telling the Prime Minister she had the numbers to oust him.Why Gillard decided to dump Rudd
THE final straw for Julia Gillard came early yesterday. Angered by a morning newspaper report leaked from the Prime Minister's office, questioning her loyalty, she called senior powerbroker and fellow Victorian MP Bill Shorten. She wanted to know what to do. "It p***ed everyone in the caucus off," said a NSW senior factional leader. "And it p***ed her off, too. She has been nothing but loyal. And to have that happen was not only stupid but unwarranted." - she is till responsible for the bad policy. - ed.
Students file lawsuit accusing California school of violating students' First Amendment rights by forbidding American flag shirts on Cinco de MayoAfghan War Command Shake-up
Obama wins oily praise for reshuffling command, but some say they want him to crack the whip on the civilian side, too
More Setbacks on Oil Spill
More oil gushes into Gulf after robot bumps a venting system
Korean War Museum's Future Dim
Korean War National Museum may not happen, because group is 'well short' of financial goals
DA: Gore Had Woman Accuser
Police reveal investigation of woman's 2006 allegation of 'unwanted sexual contact' by Al Gore, but no charges filed
TIM Cahill and Brett Holman scored magnificent goals to drive Australia to a 2-1 win against Serbia - but the Socceroos have been eliminated from the World Cup on goal difference. Needing a victory and the result of the clash between Germany and Ghana in Johannesburg to go their way, the Socceroos kept up their end of the bargain with an inspiring effort highlighted by stunning goals from Cahill and Holman in front of 37,836 fans at Nelspruit. But Germany's 1-0 win over Ghana wasn't enough for the Australians to reach the second round, with the Germans topping the Group D and the Ghanaians pipping the Socceroos for second spot on goal difference after both sides finished on four points.Islam would have saved Michael Jackson, says brother Jermaine
CONVERTING to Islam would have saved the life of pop legend Michael Jackson, his brother Jermaine said in an interview to be aired today. Speaking ahead of the first anniversary, tomorrow, of the death of the "King of Pop" at the age of 50 from a prescription drug overdose, Jermaine Jackson told the BBC that his brother should have left the United States. "I felt that if Michael would have embraced Islam he would still be here today and I say that for many reasons," Jermaine Jackson, who is a Muslim, told BBC World Service radio. "Why? Because when you are 100 percent clear in your mind as to who you are and what you are and why you are and everybody around you, then things change in a way that’s better for you. It’s just having that strength." He added: "God is so powerful. He was studying. He was reading a lot of books, because I brought him books from Saudi Arabia. I brought him books from Bahrain.
La Nina to drop buckets of water again
GET ready for a wet late winter and a soaked spring and summer "The Little Girl" could be back. The Bureau of Meteorology believes a La Nina, Spanish for The Little Girl, is more likely than not to form before the end of winter. La Ninas, a little understood weather phenomenon in which a massive pool of warmer than normal water builds off northeastern Australia in the Coral Sea, can bring a massive increase in rainfall and more cyclones. At the very least, La Ninas bring greater than average rainfall to eastern Australia. "Computer model forecasts show a significant likelihood of a La Nina in 2010," Dr Andrew Watkins, Manager of the Bureau's Climate Prediction Services, said. A weather bureau spokeswoman added of the phenomenon yesterday: "Historically, La Nina events have often brought above average rainfall to much of Australia, particularly inland eastern and northern regions. - the computer models showed an El Nino - ed.
Crashed Black Hawk helicopter 'might have been overloaded'
MILITARY investigators will assess whether the US helicopter that crashed in Afghanistan on Monday, killing three Australian commandos and the US pilot, was overloaded. The Black Hawk UH-60 assault chopper can, in its standard form, carry 11 soldiers and a flight crew of three to four. The UH-60 was carrying 10 commandos, four crew and an Afghan interpreter. Privates Tim Aplin, Benjamin Chuck and Scott Palmer were killed, and seven other Australians suffered fractures, lacerations and a head injury following the crash in Afghanistan's rugged Kandahar province. An Australian Defence Force official said the two most critical NATO servicemembers were being treated in intensive care, while a third Australian's condition was listed as serious.Ministers wanted Christine Nixon to go early
KEY members of the Victorian government were deeply unhappy with the performance of then police chief Christine Nixon in 2007. This led to speculation on her possible early departure from the job. Secretly taped telephone intercepts by the Office of Police Integrity contradict the Brumby government's public claims that Ms Nixon always had its full backing during the turbulent period when links were being uncovered between corrupt police and the gangland wars. This week in parliament, Premier John Brumby was forced to reiterate his support for Ms Nixon during her time as chief commissioner. He also denied his government had received Operation Briars phone-tap material during wage negotiations with the police union. Operation Briars was investigating possible police involvement in a murder. The OPI's own summaries of telephone intercepts from numerous calls made by former assistant commissioner Noel Ashby between June and October 2007 - which have never been publicly disclosed - reveal Tim Pallas, the Roads and Ports Minister and a former senior adviser to former premier Steve Bracks, was unhappy with Ms Nixon's performance.All bodies retrieved from wreckage of Sundance plane in Congo
THE bodies of six Australians killed after from the Congolese plane crashed in the African jungle have been recovered, authorities said today. The executives including, Sundance non-executive director Ken Talbot, chairman Geoff Wedlock, chief executive Don Lewis, company secretary John Carr-Gregg, and non-executive directors John Jones and Craig Oliver, were all killed in Saturday's crash Two Britons, two French and one US national were also on the twin turboprop plane chartered by the Perth-based company. Cameroon's aviation authority said it had retrieved and identified all 11 bodies from the plane, however Congolese authorities maintained that one body had still not been found. Authorities from Congo-Brazzaville found the wreckage on Monday, some 30km from Yangadou, a small mining town where the flight was due to land.
Eels CEO Paul Osoborne busted for stealing $50 worth of groceries
FOR a shoplifter, Parramatta Eels supremo Paul Osborne makes a good CEO. The rugby league boss has been accused of walking out of Dural Woolworths on May 27 and failing to pay for $49.18 in groceries. All while wearing his team's tracksuit jacket and in full view of surveillance cameras. Last night an "extremely embarrassed" Osborne declared he would contest the $300 shoplifting infringement notice issued by police. "I certainly didn't mean to walk out without paying," Osborne said. "It was simply one of those honest mistakes 1000 people like me have made." The Eels boss - a former police officer and noted charity worker - has written a submission to Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione asking the matter be withdrawn.
=== Journalists Corner ===
Guest: Gov. Chris ChristieFighting unions, cutting budgets and stopping tax hikes. Now, Gov. Chris Christie on how this strategy can work for the rest of the nation! Don't miss Neil's exclusive interview.
===
'The O'Reilly Factor'
Miller and Morris delve into the McChrystal controversy! Plus, too hot for TV - on purpose? Are advertisers intentionally creating commercials they know won't ever air to build buzz for their products?
===
McChrystal, OUT! Petraeus, IN!
How will it impact the war on terror, and what will the fallout be for the administration?
===
On Fox News Insider
Col. Oliver North on McChrystal Ouster: General MadnessStatement from General McChrystal
Obama: "The Right Decision For Our National Security"
=== Comments ===
The Chaos Factor and President ObamaBY BILL O'REILLY
In a stunning development, the commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, is being called back to Washington because of an article in Rolling Stone magazine.
In the piece, an unnamed aide to McChrystal briefly disparages President Obama, saying he was unprepared in an Afghan briefing. Another unidentified aide mocks Vice President Biden, who publicly disagrees with McChrystal's Afghan strategy.
In my opinion, the article is tepid, not explosive at all. Nevertheless, the president is angry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I gave him the article last night, and he was angry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How so?
GIBBS: Angry. You would know it if you saw it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is McChrystal's job safe?
GIBBS: We'll have more to say after that meeting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does the president still have confidence that Gen. McChrystal can run this war?
GIBBS: We should wait and see what the outcome of that meeting is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
There's only one time Gen. McChrystal is quoted bad-mouthing someone in the article. He mocks Richard Holbrooke, a presidential adviser. All the other stuff is allegedly from his aides.
I say allegedly because Rolling Stone did a piece on me a few years ago, and it was a total hatchet job. The writer, John Colapinto, was flat-out dishonest.
The writer of this article, Michael Hastings, has a long left-wing history, so let the reader beware.
However, to be fair to Rolling Stone, Gen. McChrystal has not denied anything in the article. So we'll have to wait to see what the general says when he meets with President Obama.
Of course, the situation is just awful. We have Americans dying in Afghanistan and now the commander there is on the carpet because of Rolling Stone? Are you kidding me? Our military in the field cannot afford this chaos.
But as bad as the Afghan situation is becoming, the overall picture for the United States is getting worse by the day as well. Oil spill, chaos; border with Mexico, chaos; economy, shaky. And now this mess in Afghanistan.
This is the low point for the Obama administration. Right now, today, on almost every front things are going badly. Is it all the president's fault? No. But plenty of it is.
The Afghan war is a complicated and brutal undertaking. The USA and NATO are basically trying to convince a primitive country to act in a humane way, to reject terrorism and corruption, and the brutality of women.
AND WE CAN'T EVEN FIGHT THE WAR AGGRESSIVELY FOR FEAR OF CIVILIAN CASUALTIES. REMEMBER: The Taliban wear no uniforms. They hide behind women and children.
If the president thinks McChrystal is not doing a good job, get him out of there. But if he thinks he is doing a good job, scold him and send him back to the theater. You can't be sacking a general in the middle of a war for a stupid article.
===
Serving Up Liberal Gobbledygook to Incoming Freshmen
By Dan Gainor
For decades, the lament from American schools was that “Johnny can’t read.” Now we know that’s not entirely true. Johnny might be able to read, but given the garbage he is assigned, not reading might be the intellectual choice.
A new study (does anybody ever write about old studies?) by the National Association of Scholars showed that more than two out of three books assigned to college freshmen are both liberal and unchallenging. You are already stunned that they weren’t 100 percent liberal and useless, I know. Give the schools time.
The report covered 290 colleges and 180 separate books, most of which you could shoplift and bookstore employees would chase you to take more. Shakespeare, Plato, Aristotle, Hemingway, Einstein – have been excised like a cavity-filled tooth. Only five books assigned even count as classics – “Frankenstein,” “Walden,” “The Communist Manifesto” and two uses of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” The reading list for some of these schools would make Faber College look like an Ivy Leaguer.
By comparison, nine colleges are telling their incoming freshmen to read graphic novels – the high-brow term for expensive comic books.
That should be bad enough, but it isn’t.
Most of the rest ooze liberal guilt. Many dwell on “multiculturalism, immigration and racism” or present the perspective of Africa, Asia and pretty much any place that wasn’t Europe. One of my favorite was “Blonde Roots,” which the study authors described as “a re‐imagining of history in which Africans enslave Europeans and ship them to America.”
Want to know about life as an illegal Honduran immigrant, there are 10 colleges telling you to read “Enrique’s Journey” by Sonia Nazario. If Enrique is lucky, hopefully his journey didn’t include higher education.
Want to know about the founders of our nation or the books that inspired them (hint, many of them are Greek) and they are nowhere to be found. The Bible, of course, couldn’t be found anywhere on the list. But 27 colleges included books about the Islamic world.
Want lefty propaganda bashing business, whining about the environment or just being insipid, and you have plenty of choices. Four colleges are even telling you to read about “No Impact Man,” the idiot who tried to have no impact on the environment for a year including cutting out toilet paper. He then wrote a book that was printed on (drum roll please) paper. Perhaps he could have sped up the process and just used some of his future books.
That’s higher learning.
If you’re a parent, this is what you are writing your checks for. If you are a taxpayer, this exercise in brainwashing is being supported by your hard-earned cash. And if you are unlucky enough to be a high school student, then I will remind you summer has just begun and there is still time to apply to real college. But there aren’t many around.
Dan Gainor is The Boone Pickens Fellow and the Media Research Center’s Vice President for Business and Culture. He writes frequently for the Fox Forum. He can also be contacted on FaceBook and Twitter as dangainor.
===
THE VOTE
Tim Blair
It’s on at 9am. Judgment day for Kevni.
UPDATE. If Gillard wins, she will be our first foreign-born Prime Minister since John Gorton. Prior to Gorton, all PMs were born in Australia right back until Billy Hughes.UPDATE II. Peter Garrett backs Rudd:
Speaking from Morocco, Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett says that he supports Prime Minister Rudd—but stressed that he is unsure of the details.As usual. But wait:
Environment Protection Minister Peter Garrett, unable to vote in today’s Labor leadership spill, backed Julia Gillard for Prime Minister …This is Garrett’s fastest switch since 2004.
“If I was in a position to vote I’d be supporting Julia Gillard.”
UPDATE III. The ABC is now reporting that Rudd, terrified of a massive loss, won’t stand for the leadership.
UPDATE IV. Gillard wins unopposed. Wayne Swan is her deputy.
UPDATE V. Kevin Rudd’s final Prime Ministerial tweet:
Also received a free lesson on how Transformers work from one of the kids.History, people.
UPDATE VI. The friendly, personable face of Labor – Belinda Neal – is first to be interviewed post-spill on the ABC: “We are serving the Australian community.”
UPDATE VII. Looks like we can retire the Kevni title …
UPDATE VIII. Rob H. in February 2007, before Rudd had even been elected:
I commented a long time ago in one of your blogs that in the end Kevni Ruff would not be defeated by anyone but the people on his own team.Good call.
UPDATE IX. Gillard to be sworn in at midday.
UPDATE X. Julia Gillard, May 17:
There’s more chance of me becoming the full-forward for the Dogs than there is any chance of a change in the Labor Party.UPDATE XI. You know you’re in trouble when the highest-profile MP by your side before a leadership meeting is Maxine McKew.
UPDATE XII. Miners shares surge on PM change.
===
16th PLACE
Tim Blair
Christmas came early for Kevin Rudd. But so did Julia Gillard.
Should Gillard win this morning’s ballot, here’s where Rudd will end up in the list of Australian Prime Ministers in terms of days served:
Robert Menzies: 6740
John Howard: 4285
Bob Hawke: 3207
Malcolm Fraser: 2678
William Hughes: 2663
Joseph Lyons: 2649
Stanley Bruce: 2448
Alfred Deakin: 1777
Andrew Fisher: 1761
Ben Chifley: 1621
Paul Keating: 1544
John Curtin: 1368
John Gorton: 1156
Gough Whitlam: 1075
Edmund Barton: 997
Kevin Rudd: 944
James Scullin: 807
Harold Holt: 693
William McMahon: 637
Joseph Cook: 451
George Reid: 322
Chris Watson: 114
Arthur Fadden: 40
John McEwan: 23
Earle Page: 20
Frank Forde: 8
Note that among Prime Ministers who have survived fewer than 1000 days, the most recent was William McMahon (1971-2). Rudd barely finishes above Jim Scullin, the Labor Prime Minister whose career arc Rudd’s most closely resembles. But consider this: if Gillard prevails in today’s vote then loses the upcoming election, she’ll be down among anomalies like Watson and McEwan. Just something for Labor tragics to ponder there.
===
GILLARD STRIKES
Tim Blair
It’s all over for Kevin Rudd.
UPDATE:
Kevin Rudd looks certain to be ousted as Prime Minister this morning after a stunning coup by Labor powerbrokers to back Julia Gillard as the party leader …With respect, Prime Minister, it’s not really your call. Interestingly, if Rudd is deposed, he’ll be the third Labor Prime Minister of the last four to be run out of office by other than electoral means.
“I was elected by the people of Australia. I was elected to do a job,” he told reporters, after a three hour meeting in his office with Ms Gillard.
“I intend to continue doing that job.”
UPDATE II. Phil Coorey:
It was understood Ms Gillard was reluctant to have a messy challenge and it is understood there were efforts being made to push Mr Rudd to stand down.And after only 944 days as Prime Minister – 131 days fewer than Gough Whitlam.
UPDATE III. Gamblers go for Gillard:
One of Australia’s leading betting agencies has installed Julia Gillard as $1.20 favourite to defeat Kevin Rudd in the Labor leadership ballot and become Australia’s first female Prime Minister.The gambling community also anticipates an election win:
Sportingbet Australia CEO Michael Sullivan said … “We have posted her as a clear favourite at $1.20, with Rudd a distinct outsider at $4.20 to remain Prime Minister.”??
“As soon as Julia Gillard walked into Kevin Rudd’s office, punters wanted to back Labor to win the next election, with bets of $10,000, $5000 and $2000 coming at $1.70 within five minutes.”
===
How Rudd’s staff tried to hide the poll that screamed defeat
Andrew Bolt
Barrie Cassidy on how this poll ended up on my blog last week - and how Kevin Rudd pulled the house down over his head:
On Friday of last week, the party’s national secretary, Karl Bitar, went to Rudd’s Parliament House office with internal party polling that showed just how bad the situation had become in marginal Queensland seats. He wanted to present the material to the prime minister himself. Remarkably, Rudd’s 31-year-old chief of staff, Alistair Jordan, didn’t allow that to happen.Read on. Like me, Cassidy thought Gillard’s speech today was brilliant.
He told Bitar to lock the polling away and show it to nobody.
An astonished Bitar told Jordan the polling didn’t belong to the prime minister; it belonged to the Labor Party, and he left the office.
I suspect that was the same polling that showed up on Andrew Bolt’s Herald Sun blog last weekend.
Jordan then made phone calls and walked Parliament House trying to get a sounding on the support within caucus for Rudd, a task that would ordinarily fall to MPs, and experienced ones at that. And ordinarily, it would not have happened unless there was at least a sniff of a challenge from somewhere.
Then the fires were stoked when his efforts turned up as a front page story in the Sydney Morning Herald. Gillard was particularly affronted by that development, seeing it as loyalty rewarded by treachery. The episode was compounded just before Question Time when Rudd walked around to Gillard’s office and confronted her personally on her own patch. Apparently, the words that were exchanged left Gillard upset but nevertheless determined to revisit the subject much later in the day.
What followed was a torrid three hours in the prime minister’s office, with the Infrastructure Minister, Anthony Albanese, particularly robust in his condemnation of Gillard.
===
Tanner quits
Andrew Bolt
Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner, one of the government’s strongest performers, has just told parliament he’ll quit at the election. He says he’d told Kevin Rudd he’d quit some weeks ago. He says he’s prepared to step aside as Minister if Gillard wants this.
He says he has no job lined up.
That virtually guarantees that his seat of Melbourne falls to the Greens, as it seemed it would, anyway. But he says his decision is “absolutely” driven by personal circumstances, and he mentions his two youngest daughters. We’d already read he’d bought a rural property.
His resignation is a pity, especially for Labor. I like Tanner. A very decent man.
Speaker Harry Jenkins (another good bloke) praises him for making his announcement to Parliament rather than through the media. Tony Abbott is gracious in response, too.
===
Prime Minister Gillard
Andrew Bolt
Gillard speaks at a press conference:
It’s with the grreatest resolve and humility that she accepts the leadership.Q and A
Grew up in South Australia. parents taught her the values of hard work, respect and community.
Believes should reward those work hardest, “not complain loudest”. (Pitching to conservatives.)
Want to help those who “play by the rules” and “love their country”. (Really pitching to the conservatives.)
A good government was “losing its way”. All this hard work risked being lost at the election. The Opposition would have hit health, education and rights at work.
Her commitments:
- a strong government that will control our future
- strong government protect your rights, including rights at work
- takes “fair share” of responsibility for Rudd’s successes and failures.
- says government didn’t do all it promised and was off track.
- concedes was not elected and says will “in the coming months” ask for an election.
(Humility good.)
Plugs the claim that government rescued the economy from recession.
Credits the “labor giants” - Hawke and Keating for reforms, and even to Howard and Costello for continuing them. Rudd, too.
Insists the Budget will be back in surplus by 2013. (This must mean no ETS, and not much conession on mining, either, since both would blow it.)
Every child to get fair go and good education.
“I believe in climate change. I believe that humans contribute to climate change.’ In future will need a price on carbon, but first need “consensus” in community. (I thought “everyone” agreed?)
Says, though, must wait for improved international conditions for a carbon price.
Says needs fair share of taxes, but also need an early settlement. More than consulation.
Cancels the government-paid ads. (As I suggested.) Asks the miners to cancel theirs too as a sign of goodwill.
Won’t say if she opposed the government’s mining ads in Cabinet. Just wants “as a sign of respect” for the miners to stop their ads, as she’ll stop the Government’s.
New push to negoiate. Swan and Ferguson will lead.
Ends with message to the troops. Mentions deaths and sacrifice. (Really, really, pitching to conservatives.)
Tribute to Rudd. The sorry, the pullout from Iraq, the increase of troops to Afghanistan, the fight against recession, social policies and the the near-forging of an international deal on climate change.
Swan is guiding us back into surplus, she says.
Must be ministerial changes. Will announce them later.
She dedicates herself to a nation where hard work is rewarded. Children must have access to a good education. We should not be afraid of the future. She wants an Australia respected for progress.
(Gillard is after the votes of the Howard battlers. An emissions trading system stays off the books. Education will be central to her campaign, as will union-pleasing moves to ensure “fairness” in the workplace. But the stress will be very much on the values of hard work, and reward for results. A great pitch, on the whole, given what she’s of the left and a warmist. Nothing on the boats.)
Moved because the party was losing its way. Hints that the election wll be late this year. (She’s groomed beautifully, by the way. Regally.)I’d give Gillard a 9/10 for that in terms of political positioning.
Rudd will have a good future with Labor. She can understand why Australians are ‘disturbed” by asylum seekers, since this country is our ‘sanctuary” and “home”. Against “fearmongering” of opposition, but promises strong management of the borders.
“The door of this Government is open” to the miners, who must “open their minds”. Will negotiate through. Believes a consensus is emerging.
(Is asked how Rudd lost his way, and what she’d do differently.) She will offer stability and “collective” leadership that “draws on the best efforts” of each member of the Caucus. Will provide decent services.
(Note: not once yet has she made any reference to being the first female prime minister. She is doggedly against playing the identity politics that would mark her of the Left.)
Believes she did all she should have to advise Rudd as deputy. But then realised she had to do more. She formed that view “in recent days”.
Denies she’s beholden to the faction bosses.
(Asked about being first woman) Jokes that she may be the first red-head. Knows she is the first woman, but didn’t set out to “crash my head on the glass ceiling.” Just wants to offer good government. (Deftly sidestepped.)
Says family taught her “that hard work matters” - and being treated decently at work.
Says there is “not a community consensus” on putting a price on carbon. Will pursue that argument after the election, (but offers no timing on promising an ETS).
Wants to offer “good, competent, stable government”.
Says won’t move into the Lodge until after the election, when she’s earned the right. (She’s note-perfect.)
She says Rudd won’t be hurried out the Lodge since Marcus, the youngest, is still at school.
Refuses to say what will happen to the Budget - blow out or spending cut - if a deal with miners cuts the revenue from the “super profits” tax. (This is a crucial problem for her.)
Promises a scare campaign on WorkChoices against Abbott.
Won’t say whether the 40 per cent rate of the “super profits” tax is up for negotiation.
Says won’t speak about any offers made to Rudd last night. Won’t answer whether he could be Foreign Minister.
UPDATE
Who in September 2007 warned voters against an unelected Prime Minister:
All we know is if the Howard Government is re-elected, we’ll have John Howard for a period of time, unknown, replaced by someone unknown because that will be in the hands of the Liberal Party.And who denied more than thrice that she would do what she’s just done?
(Thanks to reader Victoria 3220.)
===
Rudd speaks
Andrew Bolt
Rudd struggles through his farewell speech, close to tears throughout.
Says worked to make Australia fairer, and proud he got rid of WorkChoices.
Proud to have got us through the financial crisis, and to have built infrastructure and the computers in schools.
Proud of trades training centres (which in fact are way behind in delivery) and of all the school libraries (way overpriced).
Proud of national curriculum and more uni places. Proud he reformed the health system so that the Federal Government is “the dominant funder”. (I think we’re seeing again why Rudd’s claims didn’t sing.)
Proud of more cancer services. Breaks down. Says was stunned that some areas people were three times more likely to die through lack of services.
Proud of the fact ("and some people have probably not heard of this one") National Organ Transplant Authority. Breaks down again. As someone who borrowed someone’s aortic valve, he’s happy.
Transplants. Breaks down again.
Improved the age pension.
Proud he introduced paid parental leave. Proud of what he’s done on homeless and are on track to halve it. (Homelessness has in fact increased.)
Proud of more social housing. Can’t stand it when go to some places and there’s no rooms.
Proud to have ratified the Kyoto Protocol and boosted the renewable energy target (just targets, not performance) and is proud to have tried three times to get an emissions trading scheme. Says that must be part of our future.
Proud of the Murray Darling deal. Proud we’re now a part of the G20 (which we were already) and that its so active.
Proud to be closeing the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians (little evidence of that, I’m afraid) and proud of more scholarships for Aboriginal children. (Agreed.)
Proud to have said sorry to the “stolen generations” (which no one can find). Breaks down again. Therese, he says, reminded him that was a big day. Breaks down again.
When the “stolen generations” came in for the ceremony they were ‘frightened”.
Less proud of the fact that “I have now blubbered”.
(His performance will soften many hearts, and make some think he’s achieved more than they thought. But, to be very blunt, many of the acievements remain more intentions than deeds.)
Australia is fairer now.
Thanks Australians for their trust. Thanks for the Labor members who put their trust in him. Thanks the Ministry and Cabinet. “I could not have had a better team.
(His son behind him looks shattered. Therese looks at him lovingly.)
People of Griffiths are thanked: “They are good people.” Thanks his staff. Alistair Jordan, 31, is singled out. “A first class human being.” Mentions Lachlan Harris and three others of the media team.
Thanks his family one by one.
(Very human now. More humility would have seen him through.)
Thanks “the great God and Creator of us all”.
Gillard is “a good prime minister”. Jokes that he’s still prime minister for a quarter of an hour. “Anything could happen, folks.’
Will recontest the next election, and is prepared to serve the Government.
(If every Prime Minister could start their term with their concession speech, how useful that would be to them.)
Mystery why Therese married him. Breaks down. “She is a very good person.”
“We’ve got to zip.”
(Applause.)
===
And Today beats Sunrise
Andrew Bolt
Then there’s the media battle that was sorted today. We’ve had the Sunrise Prime Minister:
Now it’s the Today show’s turn:
Kochie will be devastated.
===
Hurt Obama sacks fighting general
Andrew Bolt
A good general is sacked - not for bungling the war in Afghanistan, but for dissing the president who won’t back him as he should:
President Obama relieved Gen. Stanley McChrystal of his Afghanistan command today for his critical comments in a magazine article, and replaced him with Iraq surge architect David Petraeus.Obama appoints David Petraeus to take over:
Obama said he accepted McChrystal’s resignation “with considerable regret, but also with certainty that it is the right thing for our mission in Afghanistan, for our military, and for our country” in light of a controversial story in Rolling Stone.
But as the man credited with turning round the conflict in Iraq when it was at its most desperate, the decision to send Petraeus to take command of 120,000 US and allied troops in Afghanistan could be seen as an inspired choice.UPDATE
Petraeus did not just save the US’s bacon in Iraq (earning rumours that he could one day run for presidential high office), he helped to transform the US army from an organisation built to fight conventional wars against industrialised enemies, to a fighting force that became the world leader in fighting against lightly armed guerrillas…
As the commander of CENTCOM, the US military command responsible for vast swathes of the world, Petraeus is not just familiar with the strategy, he helped to create it.
As Obama put it: “This is change in personnel but not a change in policy.”
But with many people arguing that the policy is well on the way to failure whoever is in charge, overseeing the US war in Afghanistan could kill off Petraeus’ credentials as a potential presidential contender.
(Thanks to reader Paul.)
Petraeus is the same general who was attacked and belittled by Obama in 2007 over what proved to be his winning strategy in Iraq. Note that Obama spoke exactly long enough not to allow Petraeus to respond. Pure political posturing.
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The dumping of Rudd
Andrew Bolt
Sid Maher and Patricia Karvelas say it began with a chat about tax:
LATE yesterday, Julia Gillard and John Faulkner walked into Kevin Rudd’s office for a discussion about the future direction of the government…Right to the end, it was Rudd’s insecurity which cost him:
Labor insiders said one of the topics of the meeting was the need to resolve the resource super-profits tax, but the Prime Minister refused to compromise.
From there, “it all fell apart”.
The Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister decided to fight it out after angry MPs discussed the leadership at a series of meetings in Parliament House, prompted by claims Mr Rudd had betrayed Ms Gillard. Prompted by reports that Mr Rudd had sent his chief of staff, Alister Jordan, to check MPs’ loyalty and whether there were moves to replace him with Ms Gillard, MPs accused Mr Rudd of disloyalty himself... Labor MPs and ministers were outraged yesterday after a report that Mr Rudd had questioned Ms Gillard’s loyalty with some MPs despite her refusal to enter into leadership speculation.The consequent lack of friends, and even of adults among his underlings, hurt:
Another senior MP said: “It is unbelievable that they would repay the loyalty Julia has shown by getting a staffer to do a ring-around. To get numbers works done by someone who has never been in a caucus meeting is offensive to every member of the party.”And so:
By the afternoon the right-wing powerbrokers Bill Shorten, Dave Feeney from Victoria and Don Farrell from South Australia had visited Gillard to tell her that if she stood for the leadership they would support her. The Agriculture Minister, Tony Burke, and Arbib visited her separately to deliver the same message. That meant she also had the crucial support of the NSW Right.So it’s all over for Rudd, bar the voting at 9am.
Gillard agreed to talk to the Prime Minister. Before she even reached his office, news of the leadership manoeuvrings had leaked to the media - possibly as an attempt to force her hand.
Wayne Swan is expected to stand as deputy prime minister as Labor prepares to clear out its most senior positions ahead of an election this year.Rudd says:
I was elected by the people of Australia as Prime Minister of Australia.Howes replies:
AWU national secretary Paul Howes told the ABC’s Lateline program last night, “the Australian people elected the Labor Party”, not Mr Rudd.From the woman who says the world is heating catastrophically, thanks to man, another assessment of the statistics:
Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said the caucus was solidly behind the Prime Minister. “Kevin Rudd has the 100 per cent support of the government, of the caucus,” she told ABC radio.George Megalogenis:
Rudd will be the first Labor prime minister to be dumped by his party before he could complete a term in office.UPDATE
A key numbers man in the dumping of Rudd is Parliamentary Secretary Gary Gray, the former ALP national secretary, whose own West Australian seat is threatened by Rudd’s “super profits” tax:
Western Australian MP Gary Gray said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had made a “courageous” choice to leave the matter to a 9am (AEST) vote.UPDATE 2
The decision was a personal and difficult one for each MP, Mr Gray said, but he had “no difficulty” supporting Ms Gillard...”It’s necessary to have both a fresh pair of hands, fresh eyes and a different approach to the management of government."…
Environment Minister Peter Garrett, who had backed Mr Rudd’s leadership on Wednesday, has switched to Ms Gillard.
Speaking to ABC Television in Morocco, where he is representing Australia at a meeting of the International Whaling Commission, Mr Garrett said Ms Gillard would be an “outstanding prime minister”.
Kevin Rudd steps aside. Julia Gillard is elected unopposed, with Wayne Swan as his deputy.
UPDATE 3
Galaxy Research’s David Briggs tells me this is a leap in the dark for Labor, since he’s seen no polling at all which suggest she’s more popular than Rudd.
UPDATE 4
Graham Richardson gloats that a million women will vote for Gillard just because she’s a woman. Just as millions of Americans voted for Obama just because he was black, and how well that turned out. Another PR trick.
But what will bedevil her is policy. Boat people. Global warming. The mining tax. And how does she wriggle out of responsibility for the Building the Education Revolution rorts? How does she solve the mining tax and emissions trading sores without blowing the Budget?
One small, symbolic thing she could do immediately, with no loss of skin and lots of applause, is to cancel the Government’s taxpayer-funded ads.
But immediately there’s one huge irony here that indicates how she’ll struggle. The AWU, the key union which turned on Rudd, is also the one that’s campaigned hardest for the mining tax that finally sealed his doom.
Here’s another problem. Which Labor figure said this while in Opposition:
Another boat on the way. Another policy failure.UPDATE 5
Latika Bourke:
Rudd broke down several times while addressing caucus, says source. He acknowledged he should have pushed for ETS harder.(Thanks to reader Immanuel.)
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How Labor would have lost under Rudd
Andrew Bolt
The internal Labor polling that brought down Rudd (actual figures withheld on request) showed a wipeout on the way:
Labor-held marginals:
Macarthur - huge lossCoalition marginals
Macquarie - big loss
Swan - huge loss
Corangamite - big loss
Hasluck - huge loss
Bass - narrow retain
Bennelong - big loss, Bye bye, Maxine
Robertson - big loss
Solomon - big loss
Gilmore - huge loss
Herbert - huge loss
Deakin - narrow retain
Longman - big loss
Eden Monaro - big loss
Flynn - big loss
Page - narrow loss
Dawson - huge loss
Braddon - retain
Forde - loss
Franklin - retain
Brisbane - retain
Dobell - either way
Leichhardt - huge loss
Petrie - either way
Kingston - big loss
Hindmarsh- loss
Adelaide - loss. The photogenic Kate Ellis.
Wakefield- loss
Makin - retain
Bowman - Lib winLabor’s net loss of seats predicted under Rudd: 18. And that’s presuming all the 50-50 contests went his way. Comfortable Liberal win.
McEwan - Labor win (Fran Bailey retired)
Patterson - Lib win
La Trobe - Lib win
Cowan - Lib win
Dickson - Labor win (Peter Dutton’s dithering.)
Hinkler - Lib win
Hughes - Lib win
Sturt - Lib win
Ryan - Labor win (that sacked idiot Michael Johnson)
Cowper - Lib win
Stirling - Lib win
UPDATE
LABOR party polling shows Julia Gillard is “miles ahead’’ of Kevin Rudd as preferred leader… The internal polling has been done across the key marginal seats that Labor will need to hold in the next federal election.(UPDATE: Figures corrected for Dickson.)
Sources within the party said things are looking “catastrophic’’ for the Prime Minister… “Voters are turning off Kevin in a very personal way, not just on the issues.’’
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Sigh. One minute they’re kids, then bang
Andrew Bolt
Today’s musical selection is a touching children’s song from Bahrain’s Bird of Paradise television station.
(Thanks to reader Jill.)
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Yet another
Andrew Bolt
They don’t seem very deterred, and reached Christmas Island undetected:
Wollongong, operating under the control of Border Protection Command, boarded a suspected irregular entry vessel this morning.
The boat was boarded north west of Flying Fish Cove.
Initial indications suggest there are 51 passengers and two crew on board.
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Is Rudd gone? Yes
Andrew Bolt
Sky News is reporting that the numbers are being counted for Julia Gillard right now. It’s said to be led by the Victorian Right, which usually means Steve Conroy or Bill Shorten.UPDATE
Bill Shorten (long denied the promotion he feels is his by right), David Feeney and Mark Arbib are being blamed. The AWU’s Paul Howes, despite public expressions of support for Rudd, is not the kind of guy to respect Rudd, either.
UPDATE 2
An additional power centre is the ACTU connection - the club of former ACTU presidents, who have all emerged as critics lately. Martin Ferguson, Simon Crean and Jennie George are powerful people to cross.
Simon Crean:
LABOR was forced into damage control yesterday after Trade Minister Simon Crean undermined Kevin Rudd’s handling of the proposed mining tax by explicitly criticising government consultations with resource companies.And:
In the first public sign of disunity within the Rudd cabinet over the resource super-profits tax, Mr Crean said late on Wednesday the government should have consulted business before announcing its scheme and was now acting to “fix” its error…
By mid-afternoon, government sources said Mr Crean would release a statement clarifying his comments. But when that statement came Mr Crean did not recant his criticism of the lack of early consultation before the RSPT was announced on May 2.
THE Minister for Trade, Simon Crean, has told his senior public servants to improve their connections with other public servants to help him avoid being ‘’surprised’’ by his government’s policies… He told the 100 or so officials he would have preferred not to have learnt about the contents of the Henry review and the decision to delay the emissions trading scheme from newspapers, sources at the meeting said.And:
Ministers with experience from the Hawke-Keating years, such as John Faulkner and Simon Crean, are not being consulted by Rudd and his staff.Martin Ferguson, as far back as 2008:
Those involved in the FuelWatch saga say that apart from the obvious economic nonsense of the scheme, Ferguson’s overarching concern was that to cede to such nonsense so early in the term of the Rudd Government would be to see federal Labor inevitably set on the same course as the Carr, Beattie and Bracks administrations. The message, I’m told, from Ferguson was that there are governments dedicated to “actions” and there are governments dedicated to “outcomes”. And in Ferguson’s judgment federal Labor’s state antecedents were in the former category; lots of largely meaningless activity that captured the 24-hour media cycle, but which ultimately amounted to not much in policy terms.Ferguson was also a critic of Rudd’s emissions trading scheme, and stupidly frozen out of much of the discussion over the mining “super profits” tax, despite being the Resources Minister.
Jennie George, just yesterday:
Labor backbencher Jennie George said the government was wrong to spend taxpayers’ money to advertise the ("super profits” tax) measure.UPDATE 3
Let’s revisit a wild prediction I made three weeks and three days ago:
My tip is that Rudd is now finished and will be replaced. I’m guessing this could even occur within four weeks.UPDATE 4
Gillard is meeting Rudd at the moment.
Dennis Shanahan:
Labor MPs said last night the Deputy Prime Minister was ``very angry’’ with suggestions that her loyalty had been questioned by Mr Rudd.So much of Rudd’s fall lies in his deep insecurity.
Prompted by reports that Mr Rudd had sent his chief-of-staff, Alister Jordan, to check MPs loyalty and whether there were moves to replace him with Ms Gillard, MPs angrily accused Mr Rudd of disloyalty himself.
Several MPs have told The Australian Ms Gillard has put every effort into killing leadership speculation surrounding Mr Rudd, but has effectively been undermined by the Prime Minister who had questioned her loyalty.
UPDATE 5
Chris Uhlmann, who seems to have broken the story:
The ABC has learned that powerful party figures have been secretly canvassing numbers for a move to dump the Prime Minister and replace him with his deputy, Julia Gillard.UPDATE 6
It appears she has rebuffed the advances… Although Mr Rudd looks likely to survive the challenge, news of the attempted coup will undoubtedly weaken him.
Gillard’s office gets out the hose, kind of:
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s office says ”nothing has changed” when it comes to the Labor Party’s leadership.UPDATE 7
In Rudd’s office now are said to be Gillard, Lindsay Tanner, Anthony Albanese, Wayne Swan and John Faulkner - the infamous gang of four plus two. This is getting so big and noisy that even if Rudd survives, he’ll be badly hurt. What’s more. you’ve seen in his subdued demeanour lately that he is very much a confidence player, and brittle under pressure.
The question now is: Is Julia Gillard Labor’s Peter Costello?
UPDATE 8
Crean says he knows nothing of any challenge:
Trade Minister Simon Crean has given his support to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd saying he is not aware of any leadership challenge to the Labor leader.He’s no fan of Shorten.
“I am not aware of any leadership challenge,” Mr Crean told AAP through a spokesman.
”I do not support any leadership challenge...”
UPDATE 9
Sky is reporting that Shorten’s old union, the AWU, has tonight backed Gillard. That’s Paul Howes and Bill Ludwig lost to Rudd.
UPDATE 10
The three big issues for Prime Minister Gillard:
- does she try to win back green preferences by restoring the emissions trading scheme? How can she, being already seen as of the big-spending Left, immediately promise something that will destroy Labor’s promise to restore the Budget to surplus in three years? How does she explain a backflip to a backflip she supported? Won’t she drive off the old Howard battlers by promising again a great big new tax?And then there’s the boats. If Gillard morphed into a Thatcher, she’d be utterly formidable. But does she have it in her?
- how does she wriggle out of responsibility for the Building the Education Revolution rorting, with billions wasted? Blame Rudd?
- Does she cut a deal with the miners over a “super profits” tax she actually supported? And won’t that deal also break the promise to restore the Budget to surplus in the next three years?
I take it as read that she would be far more consultative than Rudd.
UPDATE 11
It’s 9.10pm. This has been going on for nearly two hours now:
The Prime Minister this evening attended a function in the office of Assistant Treasurer Nick Sherry to mark the minister’s 20 years in Parliament.The Daily Telegraph’s first edition has gone to bed, and readers tomorrow will wake up to headlines screaming Rudd is in deep strife. This, then, is nothing that Rudd can dismiss as just a media beat-up. An hour ago, maybe. But not now.
Soon after, at about 7pm, Ms Gillard met him in his office. They were scheduled to have dinner but that was cancelled.
Swan and Albanese have only now left Rudd’s office. Sky is saying the NSW Right is now behind Gillard, too. Gillard can already count on the Left. Rudd will be almost certainly gone by dawn.
That’s it. Back to bed for recuperative sleep. It will be a big day tomorrow. Join me on MTR 1377 (listen here) at 7.55am. Further comments won’t be put up until tomorrow morning.
UPDATE 12
Final thought: has Gillard taken Rudd’s car keys off him? Wouldn’t want him hightailing it to Yarralumla tonight to ask the Governor General for a snap election.
UPDATE 13
My son’s dragged me out of bed to report that Rudd will test the numbers in Caucus tomorrow. He can’t even go gracefully.
UPDATE 14
Just seven months ago, Kevin Rudd could have called a double dissoltuin election. Peter Hartcher back then described a man in complete control:
On the second anniversary of his election, Kevin Rudd got everything he wanted.UPDATE 15
When the Liberal Party’s leadership agreed to the Prime Minister’s plan to put a price on carbon emissions, it positioned Rudd to win the signature reform of his first term.
And when the Coalition tore itself apart in debating the decision, it gave Rudd the gift of a chaotic Opposition…
The Government is governing. The Opposition is ungovernable.
Rudd press conference. He says:
Gillard has asked for a leadership ballot. It will take place at 9am.
“I was elected by the people of Australia.” Wants to keep doing the job. Mentions economic stewardship, health reform, the sorry to the “stolen generations”
“There is much more to be done.”
Blames a number of factional leaders who don’t support him. Need the ballot for stability.
“If I am returned… then I will be very clear about one thing.” Won’t be “lurching to Right” on boat people.
Will also keep to time table on climate change. Won’t resile on tax reform, but says it’s created tensions in the party.
“I was not elected by the factional leaders.”
Made mistakes on the way through, but “fundamentally proud” to have steered us through the worst financial crisis.
“I believe I’m quite capable of winning this ballot.” Says that’s based on the consultations (done by his chief of staff, even though he’d earlier today said he didn’t know what Alistair Jordon had found out).
Says some in party are getting “squeamish”.
“Fundamentally wrong” to go “on a race to the Right” on boat people.
“Action on climate change cannot be achieve without an emissions trading scheme.”
(It seems to me he’s appealling to the Left, which will at least let him lose to the applause of the conscience brigade, The battleground, as he describes it, is over boat people policy and the emissions trading scheme, with Gillard cast improbably as the candidate of the Right.)
UPDATE 16
How strange. Global warming a year ago was seen as the policy supported by everyone of sense, and by all political parties. Since then the leaders of the both the biggest parties have lost their jobs essentially over this issue. And had Tony Abbott not won the Liberal leadership by a single vote…
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