The press operation really seemed to work this time.

Successively we were covered for Ming's letter to Blair, asking him to take part in the Iraq debate, for the breakfast presentation of a withdrawal timetable, for PMQs, and for the Iraq debate. And Ming deserves a lot of the credit. On the Today programme he was precise. Had he waffled, the show might have come to grief, but he presented crisply the steps that needed to be taken - where and when.

At PMQs his comeback to Blair was picked up for the news bulletins. The Times puts it like this

Ming kept on punching. Why wasn’t Mr Blair attending the Iraq debate after PMQs? “What can possibly be more important?” cried Ming...“Isn’t that the kind of leadership we are entitled to?” There was something quite mad about Ming lecturing the Prime Minister about leadership but, still, it stung. “I AM actually debating the issue with him NOW,” snapped the PM. But, not, of course, for longer than the 30 seconds it took to answer. As PMQs ended, Tony Blair slipped out of the Chamber, as silently as a shadow. The Tories made exaggerated clapping motions.

Finally, in the Iraq debate, Ming was forceful, taking on Labour and the Tories.

Elsewhere, Nick Clegg has been prominent in the press on the prisons story, making it one of lib dems' best days for coverage for a very long time. It is just a pity that we can't get similar coverage on other stories - so far, at least.