Has Carr the drive needed?

There's been a lot of speculation about New South Wales Premier Bob Carr heading to Canberra, including talk about how and when he could become Labor Party leader and then Prime Minister.
I have read the recent reports with interest, having seen at close quarters the attempts by other premiers to do the same.
There are several steps Carr must take, as I told him this week when he rang to discuss the idea.
First he must not be seen to be deserting his own state. That was the advice I gave to New South Wales Premier Neville Wran in the early 1980s when he asked me to assess his prospects of swapping to the federal sphere and becoming leader of the ALP, and PM after that.
Second, Carr needs to start talking about national issues - advice I gave to former WA Premier Brian Burke when he was contemplating a move to Canberra as leader of the Labor Party (before things went terribly wrong for him).
Third, Carr must become better known in other states - the strategy I suggested to then South Australian Premier John Bannon and Victorian Premier John Cain in the mid-1980s when they both were talked about as future federal Labor leaders and Prime Ministers.
Finally, Carr needs to be seen as a likeable bloke by voters - again, a suggestion I made to both Wayne Goss and Jeff Kennett in the mid-1990s when they were being touted as a future leaders of their parties and Prime Ministers.
I wish Mr Carr well.
He is a pleasant, rather bookish man. And I know he enjoys reading history, even if it's not on his side.

Rufus Badinage MBE, now retired, is one of Australia's leading experts on politics and public administration having worked as a senior bureaucrat for various state and federal governments.