I think that the real issue is not just what they did then, but who else has been spied on and what does John Howard know about these circumstances,

Loyalty and respect for contribution do matter. They are principles I seek to uphold.

He then went on and fueled the issue in the House of Representatives based on information Heffernan had written to the prime minister about but which he hadn't even alleged in the Senate,

Your presence here today reminds us that the partnership between our two great nations is broad -- it's deep, it's many sided, it's long-standing and, in its fundamentals, it is bipartisan.

Howard has to explain his involvement in this sordid affair. John Howard can no longer step back and say he wasn't involved.

He understands positioning, he can hold his spot in the post. He may not get a ton of rebounds, but he can keep his man from getting rebounds.