Fools

Stephen Harper handed the Liberal Party a great gift on Thursday morning. He did something that cannot be spun as being a good idea and he did it for the most cynical of political motives. The Liberals could have taken advantage of that fact by spending the last four days pounding Stephen Harper for that action. When Stephen Harper's actions were still fresh in the minds of Canadians they could have used those actions to cement in the minds of Canadians that when Stephen Harper was faced with his VERY FIRST REAL CHALLENGE as Prime Minister he ran away like a craven coward. They could have highlighted his words from the last election campaign that governing does not allow for "do overs". They could have pounded on the fact that decision and the actions leading up to it undermines both our democracy and our national unity. They could have pounded him on the original reason why we had a political crisis to begin with, the do nothing economic statement, pointing out how wrong it was by tying it in with the latest unemployment numbers.

They could have said this with one voice. Every Liberal who spoke to the media, whether in print, on the radio, or on television could have spoken of nothing but those points. They could have hammered home this message.

Did the Liberals do this?

Of course not. When their chief opponent and the party they hope to replace as the government gave them a once in a lifetime opportunity to really hurt them the Liberals reverted to snapping and snarling AT ONE ANOTHER like a bunch of curs fighting over a pile of offal. (Which is what the Liberal Party is quickly becoming.)

I am certain that Stephen Harper, coming off of the most difficult week of his political life, was very pleased with the Liberals this past weekend. He and the Conservatives were probably scambling on Friday to come up with a strategy and a message to counter any Liberal attempt to take advantage of Thursday morning and I am certain they were very relieved when Liberals began talking about their own leadership as opposed to Stephen Harper's.

I am now more convinced as ever that the only way the Liberals are ever going to get their game back is to hit rock bottom and spend a great deal of time in the political wilderness. A wilderness where they will not even have a sniff at power for at least four years. That is the only way to get rid of the hangers on and political hacks that have infested the party. These folks only hang around because they expect favours from the party when it achieves power so if the party has no chance of doing that any time soon they will desert the party, leaving the true believers in Liberal values behind to rebuild the party.

As for Mr. Dion I have a piece of advice. You took a great deal of abuse from seperatists on behalf of the Liberal Party and the Party paid you back by heaping even more abuse on you since you won the leadership of it. So Mr. Dion my advice to you is to resign both your position and your seat immediately. You do not owe the Liberal Party anything at this point. Return to your life and write a book about your experiences and if you choose to name names with regard to your recent job as Liberal leader I would not blame you. Not that you would because you have too much class for that. Certainly more class than those who would replace you.