And we thought he was the Manchurian Candidate, the Sinophile who would be a patsy for the crafty Chinese.  They’ve been doing it for thousands of years, after all.   And Kevin Rudd has been away for so long Julia Gillard has probably changed the locks at Kirribilli House. But he not merely raised Tibet, he did it in Beijing, in Mandarin, and to pretty much everyone who crossed his path. 

Between this and meeting the Queen without tweaking the royal bra-strap a la Keating, Kevin Rudd’s statesman act has wowed the critics, driving the Government’s support back up to 63.5% 2PP. 

Between this and Weekend at Brendan’s, the question must be — as indeed it may well be currently — asked: Malcolm, where are you?