Abbott's "frozen fury"

  Opposition Leader Tony Abbott must have thought his choice of the phrase "shit happens" would prove at the very least an embarrassment. Why else would his team have fought to stop the release of the recording?

  Perhaps what Abbott didn't bank on was the wave of public support after the footage was aired. Instead of Abbott being criticised over his comment: "it's pretty obvious that um...well sometimes shit happens doesn't it," the public has rallied to his cause, accusing the media of beating up a story and ambushing Abbott.
The comment was captured on film when Abbott was in Afghanistan discussing what appeared to be the circumstances that led to the death of Australian soldier Jared MacKinney.

His initial reply was the comment had been taken out of context. Yet one must ask why, if Abbott's comment in Afghanistan was acceptable, was the footage held back by his staffers in the first place?

  As for the supposed ambush of Abbott, how else could the reporter have put the question to The Opposition leader? It might come as a surprise to some, but had the reporter simply rung Abbott's staffers, told them what the story was about and asked for them to put Abbott forward for explanation, it just wouldn't have happened. Politicians are rarely forthcoming in talking about their foibles. But the question must be asked: is this behaviour befitting a potential future Prime Minister of Australia?

  Dumped Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was repeatedly criticised over his often banal and bureaucratic language, then his over correction by the ridiculous use of slang such as "fair shake of the sauce bottle." Article upon article was written about whether Rudd had anger management problems after anecdotes began to flow over his tantrums with the media and use of the f-bomb. In one such anecdote, as told by Barrie Cassidy in The Party Thieves, media recalled Sun-Herald editor Simon Dulhunty telling of his impression of Rudd. "...he was struck by Rudd's constant and inappropriate use of the f-word as he twirled his prawn linguine."

  Okay, so Abbott's use of the phrase "shit happens" might pale in significance. However, can anyone really imagine former Liberal Prime Minister John Howard responding in such a way. The problem is that it conveys a cowboy-style approach. There is just nothing statesman about it. Say Abbott is elected Prime Minister and he is approached by a woman who has complained the poor state of the hospital system has failed her seriously ill child. Such a reply could be career ending.

  It is not the first time Abbott has chosen to resort to the all-explaining "sh*t happens. " In a 2007 television interview, Abbott hosed down concerns about public criticism of then PM John Howard by Treasurer Peter Costello by saying: Not to put too fine a point on it - shit happens..we just have to cope."

He later said he had no regrets for saying so. Why then the reaction to Channel 7 reporter Mark Riley's question about his choice of the phrase? Yes, Abbott was caught on the spot. But remember, this is the Leader of the Federal Opposition and possibly, a future Prime Minister we are talking about. If he is not able to handle a tricky question on the spot, what hope do we have in electing a leader who can explain difficult decisions to the public and win their support. If Riley had taken the comment out of context as accused, then this was the moment to set the record straight. Anything would have been better than the bizarre and excruciating 13 seconds of silence from Abbott that made one consider heading for the hills before a spontaneous combustion could occur.

  The point is, the public is intelligent, realistic and even forgiving. They can accept leaders are human. What shouldn't be taken for granted is the right to ask a question and the ability of leader's to explain themselves. The problem for Abbott is that the story has become less about his comments and conduct overseas and more about his "frozen fury" when confronted about those comments. If the comment was so defendable that dozens of bloggers could take up his cause, then why was Abbott, a man with years of political training, so very lost for words?

Note: Tony Abbott and reporter Mark Riley are mates again (click here to see)