mantra wrote:Peter Costello would have been better than Abbott, but Howard didn't like the best treasurer in the world because he thought that title belonged to him.
Abbott is just a little dough puppet to Howard. He's probably got another 25 years in him and will pull strings until the day he dies. Howard knows he couldn't manipulate Costello hence the recent hate campaign from his buddies. Costello was also a good administrator as would be Turnbull given the chance.
I trust John Howards judgment on this, this and have read Lazarus Rising (His autobiography, which explains much if not everything) and whilst Costello was a gifted treasurer, he was not without fault, party loyalty wise...this and would not have made a suitable leader, hence Howard went down with the ship when he did knowing full well what the outcome would likely be.
Howard is confident Abbott will do a fine job, therefore so am I.
Howard is a patriot, and a true party loyalist, something a lot of rising politicians from both sides of politics lack these days, Abbott being somewhat of an exception.
Some will argue he is too much of a traditionalist, "old fashioned" but when it comes to core party values and ethics, I could never get tired of these, and in time, most of you will come to realise this too when you realise what might have become of Australia had Abbott not become PM when he did.