Once again Vladimir Putin has seemingly outmanoeuvred the White House. A senior US diplomat said to me the other day that when Obama leaves office he will be roundly applauded for the way he negotiated and ultimately delivered a deal on Iran, but will be justifiably vilified for the vacillation and vagueness over his Syria policy.

Putin, on the other hand, has been totally consistent. He wants to protect Russia's only deepwater port on the Eastern Mediterranean and will do what it takes to protect it.

When Carly Fiorina told a Republican debate audience what the country needs to have “the strongest military on the face of the planet”—50 Army brigades, 36 Marine battalions, at least 300 naval ships, a rebuild of the Sixth Fleet and an upgrade of “every leg of the nuclear triad”—it sounded a bit familiar.

The former prime minister thanks Ray Hadley and his listeners for their “support and encouragement”. Obviously. They are in furious agreement that nothing has changed with the change in the prime ministership. Hadley seems to concur with Abbott that he would have won a presidential-style victory at the next election. By implication – that whole leadership-change thing was pointless.

Jonathan Freedland is a babe... I mean he is a youngster. A young kid in an old lollypop shop. He traipse the already trodden path of why religion is blah blah blah... This was sorted out a long time ago in the "age of enlightenment" by mighty brainiac philosophers, including David Hume... 

As the Abbott government casts around for a third version of its Medicare copayment policy, it’s surely time for it to ask the basic question: “Why are we doing this again?”

Somehow, the corporations that were given the aid money to rebuild Haiti or provide other services were able to absorb billions of dollars without doing much at all. Although, it should be noted, company profits have been healthy. Are they held accountable? Of course not. Disaster capitalism at its best.

FRC President Tony Perkins informed The Christian Post Wednesday that Trump, the current frontrunner among Republican presidential candidates, will not be attending FRC's Sept. 25-27 Values Voters Summit, even though other leading Republican candidates are scheduled to speak.

Tony Abbott, yesterday's man, as told by the caption of the picture, is deluded and the Murdoch press obliges to paint lavish praise on this gross embarrassment... "interestingly, nothing has changed" he claims... He should know that things don't change that fast... Except that he has gone, his mates have been shafted and a weight of crap has lifted from this nation shoulders. There is hope that Malcolm will make a few changes for the better on all the crap that Tony claims as his successes... Tony is deluded... 

US House Speaker John Boehner will resign from his leadership position and give up his seat at the end of October.

Mr Boehner made the decision while praying on Friday morning - a day after hosting Pope Francis at Congress.

Fighting back tears, the 65-year-old said at a news conference that "turmoil" over his leadership would do lasting damage to the House.

Mr Boehner has been under pressure from the conservative wing of his party ever since he took the job in 2011.

He suggested a private moment with the pontiff was partly behind the decision.

Yes, Elizabeth Farrelly, "Time's right for a flag we can be proud of" (September 24),  but that is not a flag taken from Australia's Indigenous people, as your favoured one is.  

Surely in the 21st century we can arrive at something that will include the First Australians but also look to the Australia of now.