Paul Keating once described himself as the Placido Domingo of Australian politics; Peter Costello presided over a record run of surplus budgets; while Wayne Swan was named world finance minister of the year for steering the Australian economy through the global financial crisis. So who was Australia’s most exceptional Treasurer? Also in this edition of Between the Lines, another in Tom Switzer’s occasional series reflecting on the wisdom of decisions taken at pivotal moments in our history. This week, have America’s Republicans been too hasty and too vehement in condemning President Barack Obama over the Iran nuclear deal?