The Rules: Exaggeration

I’ve told you several times not to exaggerate.*

For a man who has been stabbed in the back, assassinated and executed, it’s pretty remarkable that Kevin Rudd has come through it all losing only his job and his gall bladder.

We all know that politicians love to lay on the hyperbole, and the shocking, sudden replacement of Kevin Rudd did lend itself to it – for a while.  But to still be hearing pundits and politicians alike, casually referring to a leadership spill as an “assassination,” and those behind it as “death squads,” is frankly offensive to real victims of real death squads. 

Also, while there were people on all sides of politics who were disgusted in how it happened, does anyone believe the Coalition’s phoney outrage over Rudd’s “execution”?  They wanted him out too – they only thing they disagreed on, was the replacement.  It can only lead one to wonder what else they overstate for dramatic effect.

In the election campaign, Kevin Rudd is not the man who won’t go away; he’s the man who no-one will shut up about.  I suspect he would be the first to tell all those screeching about “death squads,” to get some perspective.

*Actually, this is the first time – but I’m prepared to do it again.