I seema a bit rich for the upper echelon of the Howard government to claim that Australia's current prosperity is due to their (the various minister's) good stewardship, when at inquiry after inquiry their defence has been that they have little first-hand knowledge of what is actualy going on in this country.

You can't have it both ways - it's either a hands-on government that is responsible for both the wins and the losses, or one where figureheads sit atop of the 'doers', with little accountability.