Meet The Press Live Blog Part 2

Today's Guest: Prime Minister John Howard, Interviewed by Paul Buongiorno

And here's the big kicker: IR. And here comes the big kickers: jargon, jargon and more jargon.

I'll just pause amidst this jargon (`ever-receding finishing line ... that's a new one ... good thing they didn't get that mixed up with the Iraq ones) to grudgingly admit that that's a very spiffy suit Howard's wearing today.

Wow, I never thought I'd hear Howard aspiring to turn Australia into a clone of the former socialist republic of West Germany ...

Now Buongiorno brings up Queensland's possible High Court challenge to the reforms. Phew, Howard whacks that one out of the paddock like a wrong 'un, he doesn't like that! The policy, don't you know, is an `announced intention'. Is there room to move, then? Or do they call it `wiggle room'?

Buongiorno also makes a good point, that Howard's much-vaunted meeting with Alan Greenspan went relatively unreported. Is it, as Buongiorno is implying, because the news he had on the economy is not good (loathed phrase) `going forward'?

Ah, here's another interesting one - the signing of the ASEAN Treaty. Apparently, Georgie was all cool with it, it was fine, it was good ... hehee ... some little computer nerd somewhere is already sampling Howard saying `George W. Bush expressed pleasure of the closeness of our ...' into a dance track as we speak. :)