Kevin Rudd may be safely detained for the time being in the troposphere, but here in Australia his effigy is being kicked to death by his former ministers, with feeling.
Their long silence - through the years of Mr Rudd's prime ministership and the awkward period that followed his assassination - is finally broken.
Julia Gillard was more passionate and believable today than she has seemed for a long time. But what will the "difficult and chaotic" man she describes do next?
Ruddy difficult
Whether Rudd wins, loses or walks, the hardheads know that the road back is a treacherous and difficult one for the minority Labor Government. More
Inside info?
There is now a great divide between 'insiders' and the rest of us know-nothings, who sense that we are being fed lies but have no way of proving it. More
The gender agenda
Gender is an issue in the Labor leadership crisis because throughout this drama Kevin has looked like the normal, the status quo. And Julia is looking like a failed experiment. More
Political taste
Annabel Crabb
For about 10 years now, I've been thinking about doing a show about cooking and politics. The time has come.
Plutocracy and public policy
Stephen Long
Look at the data collated by the review of school education. It tells a story of massive educational inequality.
Divided in power
Jim Middleton
Many political leaders in the Asia Pacific region have common goals, but personality sometimes gets in the way.
Challenging the challenger
Barrie Cassidy
Gillard needs to lift her primary vote. She can't do that while Rudd continues to circle. She needs to act.
Addicted to fame
Craig McMurtrie
Over the years countless words and pictures have been devoted to Whitney Houston's inexorable slide.
Improving literacy levels
Louise Maher
An estimated seven million Australians are struggling with low literacy levels. What is happening?
Caveat lector
Scott Stephens
2011 was a bumper year for big, discipline-defying books - books that, if read widely enough, might just save us all.
Favour for first timers
Michael Janda
The RBA did prospective first home buyers a big favour by leaving the official cash rate on hold.
Wishful thinkingThe Greek bailout is an exercise in wishful thinking - that 95 per cent of bondholders will accept it and that Greece's economy will return to growth next year, writes Alan Kohler.
OPINION
Hairshirts and haircutsThe story of 'hairshirts' (the Greek economic plan) and 'haircuts' (the writedown of Greek debt or PSI) are little more a side show in the broader European debt crisis, writes Satyajit Das.
Plutocracy and public policyData collated by the review of school education tells a story of massive educational inequality, writes Stephen Long.
OPINION
Getting screwed overEveryday working people in Greece are being forced to pay for the effects of the GFC, despite being not of their making, writes Hamish Ford.
Debt doldrumsWhy is Australia in such a wretched state of mind despite being in such good physical shape? One word. Debt, writes Alan Kohler.
OPINION
Behavioural economicsIf we want to understand implications of behavioural economics, we must recognise the field offers a harsher critique of government than markets, writes Chris Berg.
Rudd has commenced his powerplay to win the PM-ship. ALP supporters see that as the government's worst nightmare. They cross their fingers that he would go to the Back-bench and hope he does not cause more mischief. But Rudd has read Machiavelli, I sure. He has a constituent that will support him no matter what. The odds then would be for him to resign from the ALP and move as an Independent to the Cross-Bench. Given the numbers in parliament he would control all government action and business. What power! What a nightmare!
IKB on Rudd's leading role in a Labor soap opera, via story comment
While he was right in principle, Rudd was doing an awful job of being so bloody-minded in his approach to pushing the mining tax, hot on the heels of Garrett's pink batts deaths. Rather than depose Rudd though, they should've sorted out their problems internally and stood up to him, brought him down from his tree-house. He was not fit to be PM the way he was carrying on and it's a pity Gillard's pr skills aren't that crash hot as she's doing a good job.
Haden Young on Julia Gillard announcing a leadership spill, via Facebook
What a complete and utter filthy mess for which no-one is to blame but the labor party. They cannot win now or in 18 mths. The number-crunching and exclusive selection system must go for good and Labor will need a term or 3 in opposition to attract some leaders with proper ethics, responsiblity and integrity to govern again. What must happen in the next few months is that Lobor must choose a new leader, announce policies to change its basic operations and an election must be called; an election that they cannot win but one that Australia must have and Australians deserve.
David Crook on Will Labor keep marching off the cliff?, via story comment
Two-part strategyIn an interview with Chris Uhlmann, Bruce Hawker indicates Kevin Rudd's resignation is part of a two-part strategy to challenge Julia Gillard. [7.30]
The way we were...Remember when Julia and Kevin were friends, not foes? [YouTube]
Talking picturesMichael Bowers and Cathy Wilcox look at the leadership tussle in pictures. [Insiders]
Emergency services personnel tend to an accident on Tweed Valley Way at Tumbulgum in far north New South Wales just before 8am on February 23, 2012. Three people were taken to hospital.
Julia Gillard has finally explained the events of writes Norman Abjorensen. [Inside Story]
"That Gillard had never explained those fast moving events of mid-2010, and specifically her role in them, has cast her in the role of assassin... Why had she not done so before? Very humanly – but perhaps mistakenly – she had acted out of respect for her wounded predecessor."
Lenore Taylor says Julia Gillard now has the chance to do some long-overdue straight talking. [National Times]
"If the caucus does act decisively next week, in favour of whichever contender, both Rudd and Gillard owe it to the party to make that the end of it."
In resigning to throw open the Labor leadership, Kevin Rudd has mortally damaged the Gillard government, writes Dennis Shanahan. [The Australian]
"The end of the Rudd-Gillard government era is at hand, one or the other will have to go, the soap opera must be resolved and one of the stars written out of the script."
LIVE BLOG: Amber Jamieson follows events. [Crikey]
"The Australian Labor Party remains in turmoil in the wake of Kevin Rudd’s resignation as foreign minister, with all signs pointing to a leadership ballot for the prime ministership on Monday."
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