If you go and check your favorite news site (unless, perhaps, it's The Oz) you'll no doubt find that Kevin Rudd has the consensus as victor in last night's debate. I thought it was a great performance - he was succinct, eloquent, composed and very forward-looking. Howard was grumpy, impatient and at places seemed to be making things up as he went along (the Howard "Education Revolution?"). When Rudd was asked what it was he stood for he came back swinging. If anyone doubted he's a credible alternative PM before, it's hard to think they would do so after seeing that performance.
Yes, the debate was riddled with cliches, "on-message" statements, and obfuscation. But there was some real content in there, and the leaders were facing pointed questions from each other and the media. Because of this, Howard will not let another debate happen, and it's a real shame. No more debates, and no leader would dare attend a public forum these days, so 30-second commercials and staged policy announcements are the order of the day from here on in.
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