'Tie me kangaroo down, sport!'

Both PMs appear to be hiding their disappointment. Feder in not meeting the kangaroo he expected and Howard in not meeting the leprechaun he, in turn, expected to meet. Feder looks like he's thinking, "You tricked me! Get me out of here!"
John Howard's thoughts, no doubt were, "I wanna go home! I wanna go home! Costello's on my trail! Lemme outta here...now!"

Well, he got his wish...he's cutting short his overseas junket after his disappointment in not viewing a special performance of "Riverdance". As far as the 'blarney stone' goes...well, stone the crows, it wasn't even offered to him!

All things to do with 'leadership' will be interesting over the coming months. Will he or won't he? Costello's smirk will turn into a grimace as he continues to chase his elusive tail. Is it time for Howard to step aside and let Costello flex his political muscles? Little Johnnie will run his own race. He's politically savvy and when he believes the time is right, he will make his move...not before. While Labor is still in leadership disarray (and I personally believe it is...as long as Beazley is leader) would be a clever move on Howard's part. To have a new Liberal leader comfortably settled into the top job before the next election would be a smart choice in the game of political chess. In saying that, I'm not 'urging' Howard to step down but if this is to be the case, then perhaps sooner is better than later.