The debate in Australia about Kevin Rudd's candidacy to head the United Nations will inevitably focus on the well-known personal strengths and shortcomings of the former prime minister.
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For that reason, the Turnbull government faces a tricky task in deciding whether to nominate him. Many on the Coalition's right wing – including some in Cabinet – don't want to back the former Labor man.
There are hard-headed national interest reasons to consider as well.
Rudd has strengths: obviously he is a very strong foreign policy thinker with an encyclopaedic grip on issues relating to China. Many Australians in foreign policy circles think he's a considerably stronger candidate than New Zealander Helen Clark on that front.
But the job is also heavily administrative – less an obvious area of strength for the famously micro-managing former prime minister.
Despite all his obvious determination to get the job, Mr Rudd remains a long shot. It is eastern Europe's turn and there is strong sentiment for a woman to hold the role for the first time.
Based on its voting patterns of the past couple of decades, Australia is not seen as a particularly independent voice in the UN, rather a reliable supporter of US positions. There's nothing wrong with that, but it does make the job harder for Mr Rudd compared, say, with the former New Zealand prime minister, Ms Clark.
Russia, in particular, will instinctively want to veto an Australian.
Getting anything up at the UN requires horse-trading and vote-buying. This would require Australia to expend some political capital in New York.
The convention of rotating the position across geographic regions helps share influence across the UN community. It is not in Australia's interests to be seen to be disrupting that process.
Mr Rudd could always wait 10 years until it is the turn of the western Europe group to which Australia is lumped – though this is an unlikely prospect.
Getting in behind Mr Rudd and putting everything on the line to get him into the job would detract from other priorities Australia has in international diplomacy.
The government may see its best way through this political conundrum is to nominate their former political rival but then leave the lobbying to Mr Rudd and his indefatigable networking skills.
Indeed, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop hinted at this on Monday when she told the Coalition joint party meeting that "a nomination is not an endorsement".
