Does Bob Brown deliver what Green voters ask of him?

By contrast Senator Brown, who feels equally passionate about the matter as was evidenced by his remarks last week, did not join with Senator Barnett and others, and put on the record in the Senate Committee report, his own arguments about the legislation. Last week, he berated the Senate – it was 'unconscionable', he said – for voting to curtail a debate that had already taken up 36 hours of Senate time.

And one more thing – despite Senator Brown's popularity among the media because of his ready availability – even in that arena he doesn't always get it right. When George W Bush appointed former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to inquire into alleged intelligence failures in the lead up to 9/11, Senator Brown put out a media release urging John Howard to follow President Bush's lead and hold an inquiry into Australian intelligence pre-Bali.

And while his media release indicated that he is no fan of Kissinger, his "appointment will disappoint many" he said – what it should have said is that the very idea of appointing Henry Kissinger to do any sort of government inquiry is morally repugnant. As Christopher Hitchens, the renowned English journalist and writer methodically sets outs in his The Trials of Henry Kissinger Kissinger's actions in bringing down the Allende government in Chile in 1973 constitute serious crimes for which he should be arrested.

As I said, I like Bob, but I am sure he won't mind being held accountable just as other political leaders are held up to public scrutiny, even if some of his loyal supporters will want to lynch me.