To: The Sydney Morning Herald

Sent: Friday, 6 December 2002 8:00 PM

Subject: first stroke, errh strike
(note: this item refers to John Howard's controversial declaration of Australia's readiness for a 'first strike' in this region...)

Peter Costello must secretly be rubbing his hands: the old man has finally gone gaga! First strike my estimate - he's hard pressed to provide flak vests. And then there's the onerous refitting of our anti-terrorist submarines...

Now, one could take a kinder view: the old man's simply given in - after a lifetime on the straight and narrow of politics - to the quintessential Ozzie urge to come the larrikin!

For an encore, expect to see him wander through Redfern's The Block wearing a T-shirt spelling out "I'm sorry..." on the front and on the back "... but you
lost!"