The Buck Passes Here

From The Australian :

Mark Latham has blamed Labor premiers for contributing to the ALP's devastating federal election loss, stunning colleagues and angering the state leaders.

During a difficult two-hour election post-mortem in Canberra yesterday, the Opposition Leader also cited his failure to engage with business and problems within his office as prime reasons for the poll debacle.

He said the Scoresby freeway controversy and the public outcry over Sydney's Orange Grove development contributed to a slump in support for Labor in Victoria and NSW.

He was also critical of the role played by Tasmanian Premier Paul Lennon in the lead-up to Labor's forestry announcement, blamed for the loss of up to four seats across Australia.

Despite the sometimes-frank assessment of the loss, senior figures were not impressed.

"Latham's f..king mad; he's in complete denial," one said.

But... wasn't it just last month he was saying it was Interest Rates? But not the War on Terror. The excuses change, but one thing never does: it's not Mark Latham's fault. It never is. Well, he's lasted longer than Bob Carr thought he would.

But I suspect he won't last 13 months at this rate.