Peter Costello: Your verdict

Tom Brownlow says:

03:19pm | 15/06/09

Peter Costello : Highly effective member of parliament, great mind, great speaker and loved and respected by someone whose opinion counts…Tony Abbott. Peter Costello was feared by O’Brien and Jones.The sad news of his departure must bring enormous relief to Rudd…as Christopher Hitchens might say , go figure!

Kevin Griffith says:

03:52pm | 15/06/09

This is a tragedy, not only for the Liberal Party, but for our nation. I guess it’s a case of “what if”. What if he had challenged Howard, what if Howard had stepped down and Costello was the PM for a year and a half before the 2007 election?

iansand says:

04:27pm | 15/06/09

His legacy will be a wannabe who never could.

Paul says:

04:36pm | 15/06/09

Good first two terms as treasurer, then blew it in the last two. Got mesmerised by Canberra world and lost touch. He is like a poor man’s Keating. Not quite as much reform, not quite as clever on the quips and left with a whimper - too afraid to challenge in case he lost, rather than a bang - going honestly to the Australian electorate as a potential leader. If you are going to fail, at least fail while “daring greatly”

Paul K says:

04:48pm | 15/06/09

All tip and no iceberg.

Garth says:

05:05pm | 15/06/09

Peter Costello may well have lacked ticker.  While seemingly without the courage and the sense of timing to claim the leadership, he was certainly no whimp when it came to politics and the job he had to do as Treasurer.  He is truly a paradox.  Could he have been a great Prime Minister?  Sadly, he and we will all die wondering.

Arther Conan Doyle says:

05:09pm | 15/06/09

H.R. Nichol’s wannabe. There goes an ‘Ugly’. He really is such a nobody now. Why is there such a fuss being made . He told us he was going eighteen months ago. Milne knew he was a big liar therefore he didnt believe him. This time he was telling the truth. It is clear he has not found another job. Funny that . A man of such ‘talent’ caught int he GFC created by the people he championed.

Hendo says:

05:43pm | 15/06/09

In spite of all his wins and losses, I believe Costello will be remembered best as a party-political wimp who lay down and copped it as John Howard kicked sand in his face year in, year out. The Howard/Costello dynamic spoke volumes about both men. With Costello gone, d’ya reckon we’ll see Joe Hockey hitting the phones before years’s end?

Richard Ure says:

06:55pm | 15/06/09

Not only did he fail to challenge Howard but he deferred to Howard’s spend thrift ways despite not believing they were ion the nation’s interest. AND he was complicit in the Coalition of the Willing, an unprovoked declaration of war if ever there was one.

When it came to educating the public on economic matters, he was happy to beat the false deficit drum and run down the nation’s infrastructure for political gain.

Fiona says:

08:33pm | 15/06/09

He is someone I greatly admire. Australia has lost a great money man.

daztsv says:

10:12pm | 15/06/09

I far more regret the loss of Paul Keating from parliament than this oxygen thief.

Julie Coker-Godson says:

10:24pm | 15/06/09

Hendo above questions whether Joe Hockey will hit the telephones in the near future.  I believe he will.  When I was getting up at 6am to watch Sunrise on Ch7 I enjoyed the weekly Friday session between Joe and Kevin Rudd before Rudd went on to become Leader of the Opposition and subsequently Prime Minister.  At that time I told a politically knowledgeable friend that I suspected Kevin would become PM and so he did.  I just remember how, by undertaking these weekly sessions, the two men became very familiar to the viewers and it was a good way to “get yourself out there”.  I also remember at that time that Kevin’s popularity grew a lot at that time.  Maybe Sunrise could get Joe back on with someone else from the opposition on a weekly basis and go from there.  I miss those sessions!

Michael I says:

12:23pm | 16/06/09

Surely the front page from the Herald-Sun with the babies strewn around him, eyes freaksishly open is worth a reprint.

tb says:

03:44pm | 16/06/09

The LUCKIEST treasurer in Australia’s History - go out and buy a lottery ticket Peter.

JK says:

06:51pm | 16/06/09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnwn4q_ZE9c

Keating nailed him years ago.