Waxing lyrical
Kevin Rudd might be intent on fighting a flawless, error-free campaign, with neither a foot nor a word nor a factoid out of place. But it is his errant finger which continues to dog him – the one that delved into his ear canal, excavated a lump of wax and then popped it into his mouth.
The ear-wax munching episode happened some six years ago during a parliamentary debate in Canberra, when Mr Rudd was a lowly Labor backbencher and probably didn't even realise a television camera was capturing his every move.
Some 500,000 You Tube hits later, the clip has become something of a global phenomenon since first appearing last week. The American comedian Jay Leno has even run it on his late-night chat show, to the delight and disgust of his audience.
Winston Churchill once said that a lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on. Evidently, footage of a politician scoffing ear-wax travels at an even greater velocity.
The global branding of Kevin Rudd is not going well. The last time he received so much international attention was when news emerged of that boozy visit four years ago to a New York strip club, replete with gyrating pole dancers.
Then, Mr. Rudd told reporters that he had never claimed to be "Captain Perfect", and that he had only ever got drunk three times in his life – arguably, a much more shocking and vote-losing revelation.
In Bob Hawke, Australia elected a beer-drinking champion, who famously imbibed a yard of ale in under 12 seconds. With four consecutive victories, he was the most successful Labor politician ever. But will this barbeque-loving nation countenance a leader who snacks on ear-wax?
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Nick,how the Australian people mostly the ones that are strong supporters of Mr Kevin Rudd,taking the news of him being seen on TV excavating a lump of wax and suddenly put it into his mouth?What impacts will it have on him as candidate given that he would try to talk much about the Australian troops in Iraq, which I think is and will dominate through out the campaign?
Don't worry, Rudd will soon also have the Australian electorate eating out of his ear.
Perhaps your correctly judging Rudd's reception in the Western World. I understand from my English friends that the only time he made the news was indeed 'strippergate'. One wonders thought what the goverment of Australia's second largest trading partner, China, thinks of him. Particularly after his speech in fluent Mandarin at APEC. As China's industrial growth demands more Australian coal, Australians are far less concerned about that than how the British public, or indeed the American president, might view potential prime minestarial candidates than how the CCP views them.