Despite the caution to watch for Dion - which has got me all squinty-eyed and left me hunting for the magnifying glass - we could be watching Bob pass Iggy to be the frontrunner of the Liberal leadership race:
As debates go, yesterday's was his poorest performance to date. At a time when he needed to show his fellow Liberals that he had the capacity to hold his own under fire, he allowed Bob Rae in particular to get under his skin. After a week spent on damage control over his recent assertion that Israel committed war crimes in Lebanon last summer, Ignatieff appeared rattled and defensive.Both Bob and Iggy were on TVO's new news program The Agenda last week and Bob sure comes across as the politician with the experience he has. Iggy spoke about every aspect of Canada needing to be looked at in a new way, that the rural urban divide was crucial and that a true leader opened up issues, like the consitution that might not be resolved during the term of that leader. Somewhere a red flag went up. And I realized when listening to Bob that after years of Jean, Paul, Preston and Steve, it's nice to listen to someone who can actually string one full sentence after another actual full sentence and have the two sentences make sense. That speaks nothing to his prospects against the Tories or his policies, of course, and somewhere another sort of red flag might have been seen going up.
Comments
Ben (The Tiger) - October 16, 2006 9:58 am
Rae's definitely a bigger threat to Harper than Ignatieff outside Ontario.
Inside Ontario? No idea.
But it's becoming quite a fun race to watch. (Oh, who am I kidding -- I've been glued to my internet connection throughout...)
Gordo - October 16, 2006 10:01 am
Very cool. The mess that was made in Ontario notwithstanding, I like Bob a lot.
Ben (The Tiger) - October 16, 2006 10:17 am
It's going to be a fun next election, I'll say that.
But I do think that some of the anti-Ignatieff stuff has been a bit unfair. (Of course, Harper won't be fair on the election trail. Not after what the Liberals subjected him to...)
Alan - October 16, 2006 10:19 am
It is sad when others won't join in an annointment, isn't it.
Ben (The Tiger) - October 16, 2006 10:27 am
Frontrunner status can bite back, hard.
But I do recall that you were willing to participate in said anointment, were you not? ... all of that Iggy-Iggy-Iggy stuff.
Have your views changed?
Alan - October 16, 2006 10:30 am
I was referring to the annointment of Steve.
Ben (The Tiger) - October 16, 2006 10:34 am
Ah yes, that.
He knew what he was getting into. That's why he left in '97, really. But he felt he had to come back. He can take a punch. (At least, he ought to know how.)
Ignatieff -- it looks like the ravaging of an innocent there, sometimes. Like that exchange with Rae? ("<i>You've known me for forty years!</i>") It's like a novel, or a soap opera.
Alan - October 16, 2006 10:48 am
Bob may be playing this extremely well, letting the other expose their own weaknesses.
Flea - October 16, 2006 12:27 pm
"Oh, who am I kidding -- I've been glued to my internet connection throughout..."
Ben, you frighten me.
Flea - October 16, 2006 12:29 pm
I will just throw this out there and see if David agrees. Perhaps we can continue to make irksome, gnomic pronouncements. The logic runs like this:
Ignatieff implodes.
Liberals do not hand Harper his majority by choosing Rae.
Dion is left as sane alternative, particularly when he positions himself to kick the Conservatives out of there Quebec salient.
Flea - October 16, 2006 12:30 pm
"Their" Quebec salient, pimf.
Ben (The Tiger) - October 16, 2006 1:29 pm
Flea, it's that or work on my PhD applications. I choose the mindless soap opera.
gorthos - October 17, 2006 8:19 pm
Well, I was a Brisonian from the start, then swapped over to Gerrard because I am not happy with Scott's Afghanistan position plus I like the guy and know he means well and can give Harper a run for his money (then steal it, give it to the poor etc.). All that being said, choice between Iggy and Bob, bob wins in my books hands down.