Saint Kev

Hawke was able to occasionally get toasted as PM without a care because Australian's were never lead to believe that he was a Saint. Were Latham to have been found to have been drunk in a strip club three years ago (this may have happened though it was never proven to my knowledge) I'm not sure many would have been surprised, but Rudd's different.

Here's someone who has crafted a god fairing, family man image and it's come back to bite him. Not to say that he's not either of those things still, but people undoubtedly would have forgotten that he's probably still just a bit of a nerd who, when pissed, may turn into a monster. At least he wasn't found in a seedy hotel with a hooker and cocaine, alla the Italian minister recently, but it's still bad enough to dent the Saint Kev image. It's hypocritical.

It's the strip club that really gets me, I hate bloody strip clubs and I don't even understand them. Why stand there and watch a girl strip if they can't be touched? Not that I think they should be touched (though Kevin seemed to think so), but if that's what you want, go to a hooker. They're also exploitative places in my opinion.

Kev's given us all a heartfelt apology:

"I have never claimed to be perfect but I make no excuses. I take full responsibility for my actions."

And the Herald Sun (as it does) made sure to state:

'The trip cost taxpayers $18,000. '

So was it our money going into the panties of some NY stripper? If not, is this relevant?

At least it hasn't occured while he's been opposition leader and it's probably a good time to remind people that the world record for the fastest sculling of a yard of beer belonged to Bob Hawke and the second act of political violence in Federated Australia was Billy Hughes punching a protester. We've gotten incredibly precious of late.

UPDATE:

The plot has thickened with Warren Snowdon claiming that the whole thing is a media beat-up and that Rudd was never warned about touching the dancers:

'"It's just not true, it's a beat-up, someone's creative imagination and there's nothing in it,"

Meanwhile Rudd's hinted at who he believes is behind the touchy feely part of the story:

"It's a question you should put to Mr Downer and his staff".