Posted on 08/07/2003 4:38:42 PM PDT by ShadyBrown
The conservative political genes run deep in the John Howard household - the Prime Minister's youngest son, Richard, is interested in working for President George Bush's re-election campaign next year.
And just as George jnr followed his similarly named father into politics, and eventually the presidency, Richard John Winston Howard's prospective work experience in the United States has sparked speculation that a Howard political dynasty could be in the making.
Described yesterday by a family friend as "the most political of the children", Richard - like his father as a young man - is a passionate and extremely accomplished debater who is training for a life in law.
Richard is completing his final year of a commerce/law degree at the University of NSW, and was a member of the Australian team that won the world schools debating championships in 1998.
In a rare interview five years ago he seemingly eschewed a political career. "I have been put off politics," he told a Sunday newspaper.
"I have been raised amongst it and that is probably the reason why. Some people are born for that sort of thing and it definitely makes me admire my father even more."
Born to it, indeed. With a father and mother who are political animals and a procession of advisers and dignitaries traipsing through his home at Kirribilli House, it is unsurprising that he has caught the political bug.
He joked at the time that he was "very opinionated and have the strange belief that I'm always right" - a pre-requisite, many would argue, for a career in politics.
Believed to be overseas, Richard could not be reached for comment on whether he had a change of heart about his career.
Nonetheless, Mr Howard's office confirmed his son's interest in working with the Bush re-election campaign, saying he was pursuing the matter with his own contacts in the Republican Party.
"Like many young Australians, Richard wants to do work experience in the US," a spokesman said. "The Prime Minister hasn't made any representations on his behalf, and neither has his office."
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