Australia’s swarm of former PMs are pests but they are usually harmless.
Not so Kevin Rudd, who is turning ANZUS into a circus.
As we know, Dr Rudd has been admirably forthright about the flaws of Donald Trump over the years.
This came with a certain amount of career risk, which is why it was admirable, putting values before personal considerations.
However, today, it appears those comments were little more than mouthing off. Or even drunken rants. Maybe Rudd has Tourrets.
We can’t tell because Dr Rudd is pretending he never said them.
By doing so, Dr Rudd is making himself the issue, proving precisely why he should not stay because he is competing with Trump for attention.
Already Rudd’s mirror time appears to have prevented the embassy from taking appropriate steps in preparation for Trump 2.0. Peter Jennings makes clear the failure.
Three things should have happened. First, Albanese should have established a cabinet-level team to plan what Australia needed to do if Trump was elected.
The second thing that should have happened is our embassy in Washington DC should have established its own Trump planning cell, a key focus of which should have been to make extensive contacts with the Trump network.
…Third, Rudd should have reached out directly to Trump, starting in 2023, to clear the air about his very sharp criticisms of him.
These are the basic KPIs of the job so Rudd should be sacked for ineptitude if nothing else.
…senior Liberal Senator Dean Smith has called for Rudd to be recalled, breaking ranks with the rest of the federal opposition which had stopped short of calling for the move.
“I don’t think that Kevin Rudd is operating from a position of strength at the moment,” Smith told radio station 6PR this afternoon.
However, Labor is treating it like a domestic political issue.
“He’s regarded around the world, including in the US across political divides, as a very serious world authority on our region, the Asia Pacific, and in particular on China and the Chinese president,” he told ABC Radio’s RN Breakfast.
“We’re very convinced that Kevin is the right person for this job.”
And why would we trust your judgement when you put him in there in the hope that Trump loses the election?
There are only three outcomes for Rudd:
- Albo’s cowards pull him.
- He is frozen out, and then Albo’s cowards pull him.
- Trump declares him persona non grata, and then Albo’s cowards pull him.
The only question is, will Albo get ahead of the game or let Rudd damage ANZUS by dragging Australia into the humiliation?
Have a guess.
