White-anting the boss

At least Paul Keating had the guts to stab the boss from the front. Costello seems to do all his white-anting in private.

Which raises the ethical issues involved in private, off-the-record briefings like the one that Michael Brissenden attended. Is the public properly served by this political tactic? The journalists were clearly compromised by this secret chat. Is there a time limit on confidentiality? If the pollie makes a public denial are all bets off?

I think it was Mungo MacCallum who said he never attended off-the-record briefings. He just waited for the other journos to leak the dirt and and wasn't bound by back-room dealing.

I wonder who did leak this conversation? Was it one of the three journalists, perhaps inadvertently in the traditional slip over too many beers? Costello blamed " someone at the back of a pub who heard the barman say..." for these rumours. Was it Costello or one his cronies, with or without his knowledge?

Wilson Tuckey seems to have leaky e-mail. His call to replace Howard with Costello might do Australia a double favour. We could rid ourselves of both of them. The down side is we might wake up after the election to Tony Abbott as the alternative PM. Mind you this could be on the cards anyway if the Libs get sick of Costello's posturing.

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