I still believe that the country would have been better with Costello than Howard; however, his time has long passed and the Liberal party will be much stronger for his absence. With Costello hanging around till the next election, and his inability to resist starting his commentary / criticism of the party, he will continue to be an overwhelming negative to the Libs.

The lack of a lasting impression of his memoirs would have sealed his fate. He would have seen himself as an icon of the party but the truth is he will go down in history as a footnote.