John Howard biographer Peter van Onselen and political commentator Gerard Henderson have agreed on ABC Lateline 27/11/2007 that even though Liberals have lost the election they have won the battle of ideas.  The Labour party under Kevin Rudd had never been so close with the plans for the future to Liberal Party. That is way John Howard could not have won with his younger version.

"PETER VAN ONSELEN: I was going to say I agree in they in many ways won the battle ideas between Labor and Liberal but then they didn't win the election and that's the problem for them now in Opposition trying to define what they stand for separate from Labor. It is somewhat ironic that they won the battle yet lost the election and therefore have trouble defining what they are in going forward."

http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2007/s2103035.htm