My, my! Who’s been a busy Treasurer lately? A busy Treasurer speaking on matters other than dollars and cents.

Since Saturday we’ve had his speech to the Australian American Dialogue Forum Gala Dinner, follow-up comments on anti-Americanism on the Sunday program, with Neil Mitchell on 3AW and the Golden Tonsils himself, John Laws, and in the lead-up to today’s terrorism summit he’s rapping rowdy ragheads in The Australian.

Are
we seeing some further fleshing out of Peter Costello? Some more
populist right fleshing out – different to the softer social side he’s
showed earlier on issues like reconciliation? A bit more detail?

At the beginning of last month the Treasurer spread his personal gospel to the Hillsong Annual Conference. And, of course, he got plenty of attention and a chance to talk big picture politics a fortnight ago when he launched
Tom Frame’s biography of that other federal treasurer and Member for
Higgins who had to wait and wait for the top job, Harold Holt.

The
Government’s about to enter rough waters as it seeks to get the Telstra
sales bills and industrial relations legislation through before
Christmas. And whatever the wash-up – whether things go swimmingly or
if the Libs get lost at sea – Costello doesn’t want to be swept away by
the tides of fate.

It looks as if he’s not only keeping his hopes afloat, but doing everything he can to maximise his buoyancy.