Opportunity for opportunism?

Both the Independent and the Guardian have reports on members of Tony Blair's cabinet openly defying him over Israel's conduct in Lebanon. Here's the Independent:

The Cabinet revolt against Tony Blair intensified last night as Jack Straw broke ranks to condemn Israel for causing "death and misery to innocent civilians".

And the Guardian:

Jack Straw, now Leader of the Commons, said in a statement released after meeting Muslim residents of his Blackburn constituency that while he grieved for the innocent Israelis killed, he also mourned the '10 times as many innocent Lebanese men, women and children killed by Israeli fire'.

He said he agreed with the Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells that it was 'very difficult to understand the kind of military tactics used by Israel', adding: 'These are not surgical strikes but have instead caused death and misery amongst innocent civilians.' Straw said he was worried that 'a continuation of such tactics by Israel could destabilise the already fragile Lebanese nation'.

This is the same cabinet that supported the starvation and bombardment of Gaza all of a sudden fretting over Lebanon. And the Beloved Leader, Tony Blair, is supposed to be standing down. Could these free-spirited ministers simply be positioning themselves for that happy day?