In your email edition today, we salute the 68th anniversary of the Prime Minister’s first public appearance with a thoughtful gift list compiled by Crikey readers.

We also take a little trip down memory lane arm in arm with election analyst Antony Green. Antony recalls an obscure piece of electoral history from the now distant days of 1968, a moment that held the potential to deprive Australia of the man who, according to the various reported musings of Peter Costello, is either our greatest prime minister since Menzies or ”a spineless !!%*%$#>!*.

Elsewhere, Christian Kerr muses on what was on Costello’s mind when he met with the Howard biographers, Greens Senator Christine Milne wonders whether the Rudd forest policy is a fillip to the Government, Charles Happell details the down-home training secrets of Tour de France hero Cadel Evans and Michael Pascoe argues that the subprime mortgage crisis is good news for the world economy.  

* As reported by various sources though frankly we doubt the veracity of the quote … it was certainly not included in the current Howard biography.

 RICHARD FARMER  writes: ”Prime Minister John Howard has added a new twist to the role that State Governments are destined to play in this year’s election campaign …”  Leave your comment at the Crikey Politics Free For All now.