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The transcript of a conversation between the Prime Minister and the mother of a soldier who died in Afghanistan has driven the Government's failures to equip troops adequately to the top of the political agenda.
Gordon Brown phoned Mrs Jacqui Janes after mis-spelling her name in a hand-written letter of condolence, having already named the fallen Guardsman incorrectly in the House of Commons last month.
Mrs Janes upbraided Mr Brown over the lack of helicopters in Afghanistan.
She mentioned not only the Merlin helicopters from Iraq that are not yet ready to go to the Afghan theatre, but also landed a telling blow by referring to the Chinook transport aircraft "that went wrong".
The purchase of the Chinook Mark IIIs was described by the chairman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee as "one of the most incompetently delivered procurements of all time".
Because the Ministry of Defence thought it could write its own software rather than buying it from Boeing, the eight helicopters stayed in a Wiltshire hangar for three years until the MOD realised only the manufacturer's version would work.
And subsequent delays and cost escalation have meant the aircraft will not reach Afghanistan until next year at the earliest.
The Government cut the helicopter budget in 2004. Only last month it emerged that Lt Col Rupert Thorneloe, the highest-ranking casualty in this conflict so far, had criticised helicopter shortages two weeks before he died travelling by road.
Today, in an attempt to limit the damage inflicted by Mrs Janes's repeated criticisms of lack of helicopters on the government's reputation, Downing Street has said it will fast-track a further purchase of about 20 Chinooks.
Against the backdrop of dire public finances and a defence budget with a black hole of £35 billion, however, this promise can have little credibility.
Gordon Brown deserves credit for his good intentions in writing and then phoning Mrs Janes. His spelling mistakes indicate not callousness but haste and poor eyesight.
But this affair, followed by the flimsy promise of more Chinooks, can only increase the chances that failure to support British troops adequately will become an election issue.
DNA dangers
The Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, is believed to have decided upon a six-year period for the retention of DNA from teenagers and adults arrested but not convicted of any crime.
This is an improvement on indefinite retention, which has been condemned by the European Court of Human Rights.
Nevertheless, keeping such information about anyone who has not been found guilty increases the chances that it will be misused.
There are real dangers of miscarriages of justice if DNA found at a crime scene but not left by the perpetrator is linked via the database to someone innocent.
Mr Johnson is expected to cite cases where DNA retention has solved crimes but he must not ignore the dangers.
Changing influence
This newspaper's Influentials list is a celebration of the capital's ability to attract and retain talent of every kind, making London a global hub of achievement in the arts, business, sport and much else.
Official titles and precedence do not necessarily equate to practical power and influence. We rank rap stars as well as captains of industry.
But no one's place is assured: there has been much turnover since last year's list. Influence is a changeable and fluid thing.
