PM acts to spread the blame for his failure.

You have to hand it to PM, John Howard. He is a cunning rat.

Tonight he has come out and said that he will retire during the next term of Parliament if he is elected. And that he would expect to hand over to Peter Costello. Well, that's hardly a surprise. The Labor Party has been predicting that for ages.

"I would probably certainly form the view, well into my term, that it makes sense for me to retire and in those circumstances I would expect - although it would be a matter for the party to determine - that Peter would take over," Mr Howard said.

"Now that's the honest position."

Source: ABC News Website

Whether or not that statement is "honest", it is not just a statement to be taken at face value. So, what is he really saying?

As I see it, this means he is taking Costello at his word, that he and Howard are a "team" (right? - NOT). So, if the poll results - as predicted - come true, then Howard can say that it was not just he who lost the election, but Howard and Costello, and that the people have rejected them both.

All the polling shows that the public like Costello as Treasurer, but do not want Costello as leader. So that's what Howard is explicitly promising us.

It an amazing strategy. He is really prepared to wreck the entire party to spite Costello's faltering leadership ambitions.