Better warn Gillard than mock Abbott The Sydney Morning Herald's Mark Kenny doesn't get it, succumbing to some AbbottAbbottAbbott: Tony Abbott has accused Prime Minister Julia Gillard of ""a blatant abuse of power"" over the appointment of Australia's next governor-general, despite there being no evidence of an announcement being made before the election. The point, Mark, is that by the time Gillard does propose the appointment of a Governor-General it will be too late. The appointment will be hopelessly compromised. Abbott, as Kenny himself notes, has in fact tried to avoid mentioning publicly the Governor-General in making a general point about appointments: Speaking on Sky News on Sunday, Mr Abbott initially avoided direct reference to the governor-general's post before conceding it was his view it should be left to the next prime minister. Now Abbott's letter to the Prime Minister has been leaked - we may guess by whom - and his caution ridiculed. Fairfax Media has obtained a copy of a letter from Mr Abbott to Ms Gillard written on Sunday, expressly warning against her naming a replacement for Governor-General Quentin Bryce, whose term will end in March, 2014. In fact, Gillard has form, as Kenny, again, himself concedes: In the letter, Mr Abbott complains about the recent reappointment of the Australian Electoral Commissioner and other public service appointments, and invokes the ""caretaker"" convention to suggest the current government is going beyond its legitimate authority. ""In my view, the decision to announce these appointments subverts the established convention that no government should make decisions that are legitimately the province of a potential successor,"" he wrote in the letter dated April 21. ""The announcement of appointments expressed to take effect almost nine months into the term of the next parliament and some 15 months before they become operative is a blatant abuse of power."" Mr Abbott argues that to attempt to recommend the appointment of a new governor-general more than six months before the term would commence is ""without modern precedent"." Oddly enough, Kenny attacks Abbott in his first paragraph for writing to Gillard about an appointment for which he says there is no evidence. But later in his report, Kenny happily reports a Labor allegation about an Abbott appointment for which there is no evidence - and of which there is little likelihood: A senior government figure said it was believed Mr Abbott would seek to politicise the plum governor-general position by awarding it to former Coalition prime minister and avowed monarchist John Howard. To paraphrase Kenny himself: Labor has accused Opposition Leader Tony Abbott of politicising the appointment of Australia's next governor-general, despite there being no evidence of John Howard being considered. Brilliant spinning of Kenny by Labor. Turning defence into attack.