I was surprised to hear criticism of Kevin Rudd over the weekend and on breakfast radio this morning. Surprised and disappointed. Some people have a problem with the fact that our prime minister has been moved to tears and become choked up several times while on the ground with bushfire victims or talking to the media. The gist of the criticism has been “we want our prime minister to be tougher, a leader should be strong’.

To this I say, are you serious? Surely we have better things to be concerned about than the fact our Prime Minister is tearing up over a national catastrophe in which hundreds of people have died and thousands of people have lost everything.

The man is not a super hero. He is a politician. He is a father, a husband and a human. He has seen things most of us can’t begin to imagine and met with people who have been in the midst of extreme grief. He has hugged those people and tried to comfort them as they sobbed in his arms, all while being filmed by a thousand cameras. How could anyone possibly be untouched by this?

John Howard cried after Bali. Bob Hawke cried when talking about his daughter’s drug addiction and his failings as a father. If I were allowing my kids to watch TV coverage of this on-going tragedy, I would be proud for them to see that even the ‘boss of Australia’ is terribly upset about what has happened. Crying is normal and natural and nothing to be ashamed of. Even if you have a penis.

And last time I checked? Breaking down or choking up is not a choice. It’s something that happens when you are profoundly upset or moved. It is a basic human reaction. It is out of your control. When I read the paper or watch the news and see the devastation and the faces of the victims, the children, their families…. I don’t get to choose when the tears come. Do you?