Downer On Fire!!!!

I think Downer's such a Liberal party liability that every time I hear something from his mouth I wonder why he hasn't been sacked. Just take this exchange printed in The Australian's Cut & Paste today:

'HOST Tony Jones: How damaging is that story (Michael Brissenden's report on the Peter Costello dinner)?'

'Downer: Well, Peter Costello's denied the story and it's a story about some journalist claiming that he said this -- and he denies it -- two years ago. To be honest with you, I think the public are sick of this sort of stuff. I think the public are much more interested in their own welfare (and) whether we're going to keep unemployment down, whether we're going to continue to create jobs, whether living standards can rise....'

Nice dodge, and well manoeuvred onto the party line.

'Jones: Well, it's three senior journalists who were at a dinner with Peter Costello, all now corroborating each other's stories and revealing their detailed notes of conversations, the specifics of which Mr Costello has now denied twice. It's going to be a question of who the public believes, isn't it?'

Damn!!! He's persisted!

'Downer: You think the public would believe journalists over Peter Costello? Well, that's an interesting proposition, by the way.'

Pheeeeewww!!! Good come back Alex, Bravo (sound of clapping within brain).

UPDATE: Apparently Downer's comment wasn't as obviously stupid as I'd previously thought. Take these comments from Insiders today:

WOMAN (red jumper): If I had to choose between trusting three journalists and Peter Costello, I'd definitely trust Peter Costello. He's in a much better position as far as a public eye, three journalists - hmm, where'd they come from?

MAN: The three journalists said they wouldn't do it. So how can they be trusted?

Three journalists with the same recollection of events and one politician? Apparently not as easy as it seems.