Trying to be helpful

Two quotes, from different stories in the Guardian:

"Immediately after Miliband sat down, Brown's aides were expressing
satisfaction, judging that the threat to the PM had receded."

"as the "Heseltine" story broke late on Monday night, some Brownites were
keen to brief journalists about it, apparently in the hope of presenting
Miliband as disloyal"

At the risk of criticising some of the finest political minds of our time, would it not be a good idea, if you wished to minimise somebody as a threat, not to keep discussing the threat they pose with journalists? Might it detract, just a little, from your "moving beyond in-fighting" message if you keep on in-fighting?