Lex may be wondering how to top this effort from Maggie Beckett: 'Fuck, I'm stunned,' new foreign secretary told Blair.
Maybe this is him, in another distraction - Clowns attack US nuke missile silo.
Maybe he is miffed at John Howard stealing his thunder, Howard, Wen unite in call for N Korea not to launch missile. Imagine the dialogue from Wen: "OK, I'll strike a robust pose against Pyongyang, for your photo-op for Fox, and I'll ask for discounted LPG. How's that for a deal? As long as I don't have to wear a Vodaphone tracksuit and jump into the air shouting 'Oi-oi-oi, Kewell is king'."

I suspect Lex is jealous of Howard's ability to pop up next to the big boys, hoping to pick up some testosterone by osmosis. I reckon Our Leader will make a quick detour to Moscow, to pose next to Vlad for a Fox-op, after this - Putin orders forces to hunt down diplomats' killers in Iraq. John is an accurate diviner of the Aussie stereotype, so is familiar with the essential dictum "Do you own [insert qualifier] dirty work". It's going to require some deft footwork to convince the hordes transfixed by poker machines that Australia is the ideal training ground for secret armies, mercenaries, have-gun-will-travel mobs, from any quarter, invoiced for cash on a sliding scale of contributions to key committees.

Perhaps he is worried that Amendment on Flag Burning Fails by One Vote in Senate will interfere with the Tories' push to whip up nationalistic fervor, by way of Bronwyn Bishop's own flag-burning bill.

Lex could be disturbed by the prospect of playing Duchess to Peter Pentecostello. The Age will not hear a word against Costello, as in Peter Costello and the art of delivering the vision. I guess that's why this fell into the discard bucket:
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Letters editor, The Age
Peter Costello has just guaranteed that his name will not be on every Australian's lips in 2100 ('Costello's five big targets', 28/6). There is one key issue that must be brokered, in order to achieve the least of his Big Five. But he cannot say it, even though it is the one that could make him different from John Howard. Look away now, Peter, here it is - Fixed Terms for the national parliament.
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Maybe I'll try SMH.

From Elvis and war crimes: One shrine or another:

... Washington could easily end Koizumi's Yasukuni Shrine visits, if it had the will to do so. The question is whether it is willing to defend its legacy in World War II. Or has it become so bereft of allies in East Asia, so worried about the rise of China and the need to keep Japan as a counterweight, that it cravenly lets Japan define the terms of the conflict?

Maureen Dowd, in Velvet Elvis Diplomacy (pay-for-view):

... Yesterday's pilgrimage may have struck some as too kitschy, given that several youngsters in Memphis have been tragically shot by stray bullets recently. But at least goin' to Graceland was a rare display of expertise in the psychology of diplomacy, an area where this administration has been strangely tone-deaf. W. figured out what the Japanese leader was thinking, what he wanted and what mattered in his culture, and exploited it — unfortunately, waiting until Mr. Koizumi was almost out of office.
Bush officials went out of their way not to do this with Saddam when they failed to consider that he might be hyping his W.M.D. arsenal or toying with U.N. weapons inspectors as a chest-thumping exercise aimed at impressing other Arab leaders. The Bush team also repeatedly squandered chances to talk to the Iranians and the North Koreans, ignoring the ways in which the oddball leaders of those countries might be acting out of insecurity, envy, bluster, one-upsmanship and a desire to be respected — sort of how high school girls might behave if they had nukes.
With his small circle of pals and Iraq war defenders — Mr. Koizumi, Tony Blair and Silvio Berlusconi — drifting off the world stage, and with allies pulling back troops in Iraq, President Bush may soon be as isolated as Elvis was at the end. For the rest of his term and through history, W.'s Heartbreak Hotel is likely to be located in Baghdad.

Not even a bridesmaid, John. Better try bulking up on fried peanut butter and cheese sandwiches.