But how much of a visionary is Howard? he's the most poll-driven PM ever. All this crap about him being a man of steel and so principled is just that - crap. Look how he is flip-flopping on global warming. Fair dinkum, today is the coldest Sydney November day since 1900, so he'll now flip back to global cooling.
His treatment of refugees is a disgrace, and he's done bugger all to improve the infrastructure of this country despite an unprecedented economic boom brought about by the resources boom.
If there's racism at the cricket this year he'll tut-tut and say how bad it is, but then turns around and sends every poor fugee who lobs here to bloody Nauru, all the while saying what a terrible regime Saddam was (true), invading Iraq yet at the same time refusing entry to the very people who were fleeing that regime.
Apparently that's "strength", that's "visionary" and that's "leadership". It's actually having the media in his pocket and big business.
If this comment was on the ABC I'd have to now give a spray to Beazley about being porcine to be "impartial" - what a crock of S... !
For pure political class, check out these great quotes from the PM before Howard.
http://www.gwb.com.au/gwb/news/special/keating.html