The Americans tell us what we need to know: in her first six months as Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett has had to cope with the debacle of Iraq, the threat of Iran--and a bad press. So is she being treated unfairly? Mary Riddell and John Kampfner seek to find out

There are two document trays on Margaret Beckett's desk. One is labelled 'Info', the other 'Action'. The info pile is rather higher than the action one. So much to absorb, [...]