The Tories point out that Mr Oaten has spoken but once at Westminster since the election.
Mr Oaten's hope lies in achieving the Hillhead phenomenon: that is, squeezing the Labour vote.
In Winchester, Liberal Democrat Mark Oaten built on his 21, 556 majority of 1997, by reaching nearly 22, 700.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said the policy should be based on "fact not tabloid fiction".
With the race in effect between Mr Malone and Mr Oaten, votes cast for Mr Davies and five no-hope candidates are wasted.
The winner, whether Mr Oaten or Mr Malone, would end up with at least some support form more than 50% of the voters.
They could do both, voting for Mr Davies in round one, then seeing their vote transferred to Mr Oaten once Mr Davies was eliminated.
Labour voters would not then have to agonise over whether to cast their votes for the deserving Mr Davies or to vote tactically for Mr Oaten.
It will be Mr Oaten's task to maintain the Lib Dems' admirable concern for civil liberties, while introducing a new sternness on policing and anti-social behaviour.
True, but irrelevant, because Mr Oaten has spent the intervening months acquiring that mastery of his constituency's needs which befits a man with a majority of two.
Mr Oaten had been at the centre of a dramatic election re-run in November 1997, after the May poll, which had declared him the winner by just two votes.
This is hardly an original insight, but there are plenty of progressive Tories who, despairing of their party's ability to adapt to the realities of modern Britain, would agree with Mr Oaten.
At a UK level it has been a difficult few months for the Liberal Democrats, having lost a Leader, Charles Kennedy MP, over his struggles with an alcohol problem, and a Home Affairs spokesman, Mark Oaten MP, over a sex scandal.
BBC: NEWS | Programmes | Politics Show | Wales: Where next for Welsh Lib Dems?
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