In the dead of the silly season, when thoughts are turned to last-minute presents and dreading the obnoxious uncle turning up at Christmas lunch, our Prime Minister has decided to send away Labor’s own obnoxious uncle.

To Washington. As Ambassador.

The same Kevin Rudd who, as Prime Minister, showed such tact and diplomacy with his own Labor caucus that, had he stood for his job against Julia Gillard in 2010, would have mustered just a handful of votes – including – as it happened – Albanese’s.

Who, as Prime Minister, made public fun of the then US president, George W. Bush, and his administration. Whose antipathetic views of the current crop of Republicans, not only Donald Trump, are well enough known.

Who, as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, was a brutal boss, whose sense of interpersonal relations was warped, and his treatment of staff and bureaucrats, was abysmal.

Who, as a politician, cared for colleagues, the media, and others, only as long as they could be of use to him. Who undermined and destroyed anyone, including his predecessor Kim Beazley and successor Julia Gillard, who stood in the way of his ego and ambition.

Who, earlier this year, blisteringly criticised the Aukus alliance, and ditching Australian’s French conventional submarine contract for British or America nuclear boats – because it was a Scott Morrison initiative. Rudd hasn’t publicly changed his spots now Aukus has been embraced enthusiastically by the Albanese government.

Then there’s Rudd’s manic obsession with a certain prominent American citizen with whom he would have to rub shoulders with regularly, Rupert Murdoch…

And this is the man Albanese thinks would be an asset in our most important diplomatic post?

Being an ambassador to a nation implies that person serves that nation.

But throughout his career, there has been only one object whose interests Kevin Rudd has served: Kevin Rudd.

This must be the worst ambassadorial appointment since FDR appointed the pro-Nazi and defeatist Joseph P Kennedy to the Court of St James in the 1930s. An ambassador loathed by his British hosts and, before long, by his own president. He was one of Roosevelt’s greatest regrets.

But there is one criterion to which (partly) applies to Rudd’s appointment.

Hundreds of years ago, Sir Henry Wotton defined an ambassador as ‘an honest man sent abroad to lie for one’s country’.

In Rudd’s case, he will need to be kept on a close leash by Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong. But an honest man in the practice of his professional responsibilities? Rudd’s history says that’s problematic.

An ambassador should be of impeccable character, representing not just the interests of his or her government, but of the national character. Rudd, this arrogant, egotistical, and serial failure as a politician, cannot do that.

Anthony Albanese – and Australia – will come to regret his misplaced loyalty to a man who does not deserve, and has never deserved, it.

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