Malcolm Turnbull phoned Peter Costello last Sunday morning, missed him and left a message. Costello phoned him back later in the morning. The two men don't agree on much of what happened next.

Neither has spoken publicly about the specific content of the call. But each has given an emphatic account to his political intimates. And from these we have a very good idea of their wildly differing versions.

Why does it matter? One is the alternative leader of the country. The other is a potential alternative leader of the country. They are, notionally, in the same party. Yet they cannot both be telling the truth.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/daggers-are-drawn-between-costello-and-turnbull-20090220-8dkp.html?page=-1