PM says sorry for latest rate hike 

Prime Minister John Howard says he regrets the extra burden that will be placed on Australian families because of today's interest rate rise. 

RBA lifts interest rates 

The Reserve Bank has made history, weighing into the politically-charged federal election campaign by raising interest rates to their highest in a decade. 

Family-friendly Coalition policy a con: Democrats 

The Democrats have labelled the family-friendly measures contained in the federal Coalition's new industrial relations policy as a con. 

Pope, Saudi King hold historic meeting 

Pope Benedict and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah held a historic meeting and discussed the situation of minority Christians in the Islamic country where the Vatican wants them to have more freedom. 

Howard compares Cup to campaigning efforts 

Prime Minister John Howard has spent most of today on the hustings in his home electorate as the Melbourne cup overshadowed the campaign. 

from Crikey ….. 

We have been searching our minds to try to figure out why John Howard and Peter Costello refuse to criminalise cartels and send their perpetrators to jail. Here are 10 possible reasons for their inaction: 

Howard denying all responsibility for inflation: Rudd 

Labor leader Kevin Rudd says he is stunned that Prime Minister John Howard can say he believes inflation is unavoidable. 

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s political camp struck back on Saturday against rivals who were attacking her as overly secretive, circulating legal arguments from a Clinton ally asserting that the Clintons are not blocking the release of presidential papers about their discussions in the White House in the 1990s. 

The debate over climate change in Australia could be seen as evidence of the existence of parallel universes.  

It is as if Australia and 191 other countries, including China and India, never signed and ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992, as if the new Howard Government never signed the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. In this universe, Australia is a leader on climate change. 

world war III; the spectre of lenin, hitler, communists, fascists….. 

What is bushit thinking? 

Today he spoke to the Heritage Foundation & attacked Democrats in Congress for being responsible for everything but hair lice. He is fighting evil - why don’t Democrats understand that? 

from Crikey  

"Me Too" gibes still not hurting Rudd 

Minister for Vocational and Further Education Andrew Robb knows a thing or two about losing unlosable elections. He was at the helm of the John Hewson Liberal Party campaign when Paul Keating came from behind for Labor's "sweetest victory of all."

White 'not interested' as Jones firms for Wallabies 

Former Australia coach Alan Jones has formally applied for the vacant Wallabies post, but South Africa's World Cup-winning boss Jake White is a non-starter. 

Candidates 'should declare sexual preference' 

Critics Turn Out To Protest Media Consolidation 

from Crikey .....

Alex Mitchell writes

Liberal federal Cabinet ministers, backbenchers and hard-heads in the Liberal Party organisation were dismayed and annoyed by the pathetic performance of Treasurer Peter Costello in yesterday's live debate with Labor’s shadow Treasurer Wayne Swan.