The interesting part of this story is that it took Channel 7 3 months to get it released under FOI. At face value Abbott has done nothing wrong: All he's done is use a slightly crude phrase in relation to the fate of a dead soldier. The only possible source of damage to him is that he had been running a political line that soldiers in Afghanistan (This soldier?) did not have sufficient protective equipment. That seems slightly at odds to the sentiment he was expressing to the American military guy to whom he was speaking. Whatever the rights and wrongs of this case, Tony really shouldn't be so precious: He was only too happy to falsely accuse Peter Garrett of "Industrial manslaughter" with regard to the deaths of the insulation workers. He's more than happy to use the deaths of young Australians for his own political advantage but looks a little less comfortable and relaxed when the shoe's on the other foot.
