Er, What Ignatieff Meant to Say

Brison called it.

Ignatieff is an "error prone amateur".

While Ignatieff may feel, or may actually be, two-feet smarter than everyone else in the campaign (except for Dion), he's learning that book-smarts only take you so far in the bizzaro world of party politics. Time and time again, Ignatieff creates problems for himself by wandering off message with throw away comments that land him in trouble.

In a campaign team as slick and experienced as the one Iggy has assembled, this must be a cause for grave concern as the campaign reaches its final act.

And of course, when Ignatieff said "it depends on who's the leader" if he'll run again, he meant that "Let's be clear: I am planning to run in the next election in Etobicoke-Lakeshore. I love being an MP and I've enjoyed it enormously and I'm looking forward to doing it again."

Anyone else having disturbing Paul Martin flashbacks with Iggy's campaign? Is the Board on board?

Iggy May Take His Ball and Go Home

Michael Ignatieff may not run again as a Liberal if he doesn't win the leadership campaign.

"Depends who's leader," Ignatieff said yesterday when asked at a meeting with the Toronto Star editorial board if he would run for the party in the next election if he loses the leadership vote in early December.

Oh Iggy. Bad idea jeans.

Your credibility as a Liberal is only slightly better than Bob Rae's, so saying you're only here for the top job - although undoubtedly true - doesn't exactly paint you as a loyalist.

Yes, we know you worked on Trudeau's campaign, you've mentioned that several thousand times. It's the intervening 30 plus years that give us trouble.

Valpy on Ignatieff

You don't have to be a sophisticated shrink to see that the Globe and Mail's Michael Valpy may be projecting his life's disappointments onto Liberal leadership Candidate Michael Ignatieff.

In a very long, sometimes interesting piece, Valpy slips the dagger into Ignatieff again and again. Of course, Iggy opened the door with his "sensitive man" shtick:

“I think there are people who would say I've been very ruthless in my life. I am someone who has worried greatly about the price my ruthlessness has inflicted on others. I have worried about that. I do worry about that."

Suck it up princess. It takes stones to be the leader (regardless of gender). Don't cry in your cappuccino.

But this hatchet job was really about Valpy. Ignatieff was a reporter with Valpy some 40 years ago at the Globe. From there, Ignatieff has gone on to high profile media and academic success as is considered by many, especially those outside of Canada, as one of our country's greatest contemporary intellectuals. Valpy derides his career changes as the mark of a dilettante rather than an active mind. He accuses Ignatieff of “recreating himself” to suit his greedy purposes. The inclusion of the quote on Madonna is no accident.

Not content to limit himself to debunking Ignatieff’s professional achievements, he delves into his family life to come to the shocking conclusion that Iggy was mean to his little brother and that his marriage broke up, with unhappy consequences. Apparently Ignatieff is to be judged a sociopath for this behavior.

So Valpy sees his former peer, lauded as a great mind and author, now on the cusp of becoming leader of the Liberal Party and perhaps prime minister. Meanwhile, Valpy’s potential lies behind him. He’s in the twilight of his career in a fading industry. So he lashes out with a personal attack that offers little to the public debate about who should lead the Liberal Party.

And the Globe and Mail let him.

Ask Valpy why any of this matters today at 1 pm.

Ugly!

It's been a ugly few days all 'round for the Liberal Party.

Toronto MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj's remarks criticizing Israel cast fresh light on the apparent divisions in the party on Mideast policy. Gerard Kennedy, who Wrzesnewskyj supports, was put on the defensive and forced to issue a statement confirming his opposition to Hezbollah.

Under pressure, Wrzesnewskyj resigned his post as associate foreign affairs critic. But damage has been done - witness the satirical websites that have already sprung up. Expect the Conservatives to exploit this "soft on terrorism" theme at every opportunity. And witness what this perception has done to the Democratic Party in the U.S.

Then there is the Anyone But Iggy movement, complete with its own website and poorly photoshopped images. The Party is scrambling to investigate whether party membership lists were improperly provided to send out anti-Iggy letters. The Igantieff forces are complaining that some candidate has violated an agreement that the lists would not be shared with a third party. So which campaign provided the info? Someone should get busted for this bit of sleaze.

The latest fundraising numbers are in and it appears Bob Rae has extended his financial supporters beyond his immediate family.

Kennedy's Hezbollah Problem

The Liberal caucus meetings are underscoring divisions about the Party's Mideast policies.

The latest furor over the summer's hot-button issue of the Mideast war came after Toronto MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj, associate foreign affairs critic, said he doesn't understand why the government can't "communicate" with Hezbollah, even though it is on the list of terrorist organizations. On a trip to Lebanon organized by the National Council on Canada-Arab Relations, Wrzesnewskyj (Etobicoke-Centre) also accused Israel of "state terrorism."

Wrzesnewskyj is a supporter of Gerard Kennedy, who refused to criticize him for the remarks.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives compare Hezbollah to the Nazis.

Iggy's Carbon Tax

Michael Ignatieff releases his environmental plan today in Vancouver. A key plank is what is effectively a carbon tax. Somewhere, Stephen Harper is smiling. OK, probably not smiling, let's not go that far, but he is surely happy. Iggy is also admitting Canada can't meet its Kyoto targets but is offering a new set of targets. Great message discipline. That should clear up that otherwise complex issue...

Iggy was also making friends in the Maritimes. He visited PEI where he donned an Anne of Green Gables wig and sampled the potatoes. Before leaving with a wooden lobster trap on the roof of his Lexus, he also told the Charlottetown Guardian that Upper Canada was through with handouts for the poor cousins on the East Coast. Can you feel the love?

Bearded Mulroney apologist/bag carrier Norman Spector takes a run at explaining why Dion can't win. Maybe these guys are getting scared of Stephane?

Can Dion Win?

With Michael Ignatieff failing to gain momentum, and, according to some, actually losing it, is mercurial Quebecer Stephane Dion the one to watch?

While Rae scores some buzz points for the Maurizio endorsement, he has not fired up the party's grassroots. Instead, his support is confined to a group of senior citizen party elites, fondly remembering the Trudeau era over mint julips at their summer homes.

Of course, most Liberals don't use "summer" as a verb and it still seems unlikely that Rae can sufficintly demontrate his fealty to the party to assuage their concerns.

Dion, meanwhile, continues to gain credibility. Turns out that being smart, but not arrogant, may actually count for something. Toronto Star typist James Travers labours through his analysis of the Dion factor.

And of course, Dion's faustian deal with David Orchard may deliver key votes from the Saskatchewan tractor driving set. Or it may just be a laughable miscalculation. Or maybe it's just another useless Orchard deal. Time will tell.

Campaign Awakens from Slumber

Maurizio Bevilacqua's decision to drop out and throw his modest support to Liberal arriveste Bob Rae seems to have awoken the campaigns from their nice summer nap.

So whither Ignatieff? The presumed front-runner has generated recent mindshare largely through a series of gaffes. Surely it's not possible he's losing ground to Rae?
Iggy to Brison: What cabinet post would you like?

Of course, with a large number of candidates meaning a larger number of ballots, anything can happen. That's how Joe Clark became PM...not an encouraging thought.

Bob Rae is a pure opportunist. So what does that make Maurizio?

We're Back! Maurizio's Out!

Internet service at the LLC's summer family compound is spotty so we took a few weeks off. Not that much happened in the slow moving trainwreck that is the Liberal Leadership race. Yawn.

But wait, there is news. Maurizio Bevilacqua finally saw the handwriting on the wall and withdrew from the race, throwing his "support" to Sideshow Bob Rae. It is surely a tough move for Maurizio who was a loyal Martinite during the tough days, only to be rebuffed when Martin came to power.

So in a summer of no news, Maurizio's move may actually have an impact. And with no fundraising and no public interest in this disastrous campaign, who will be next to bow out somewhat gracefully? We're looking at you Mr. Volpe...

'I was born a Liberal, I just came out a few years ago,' says Brison...um, OK.

Sentaor Michael Kirby is stepping down a decade early. The industrious Senator's hard work on issues like healthcare almost makes up for the complete uselessness of his colleagues in the chamber of Sober Second Thought. We'll miss you Senator Kirby.