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Politics : Canadian Political Free-for-All

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From: DeplorableIrredeemableRedneck1/6/2009 11:18:53 AM
   of 32943
 
The Liberal leader is a man of magnitude. So where is he?
Globe and Mail
LAWRENCE MARTIN - January 5, 2009

Michael Ignatieff has been completing a book over the holidays, the
last chapter in a family saga. That's fine and well, but there are
Liberals who wish he'd chosen another time - a better moment than the
immediate aftermath of becoming party leader.

With the departure of Stephane Dion, it was thought there would be a
rush of momentum for the Grits, heady sensations of relief and
revival. With the eloquent Mr. Ignatieff as the new regent, hopes were
further heightened.

By comparison to his predecessor, he is a man of magnitude. But where
is the new dynamism? And where is he? At a volatile political juncture
when the moment needs be seized, Iggy's off to a quiet and rather
unremarkable beginning.

It's not so much his own doing. Circumstances have not been kind.
There was no leadership race. That meant no high-profile campaign, no
media-saturated convention, no hallmark speech. His overnight
enthronement served the good purpose of quickly terminating the Dion
stewardship. But coronations cannot be said to be democratically
edifying. Rather than bolstering credibility, they can bleach it.

Iggy's investiture had the added disadvantage of coming just before
the Christmas break. It meant that, with all the holiday distractions,
he couldn't showcase himself. Instead, Prime Minister Stephen Harper
has maintained the higher profile with his year-end interviews and
hockey tournament photo-ops.

The public discussion centres not so much on the new lord of the
Liberals but on the continuing aversion to the idea of a Liberal-led
coalition. Archduke Ignatieff, perhaps for good reason, has not wanted
to disown the coalition concept.

But it's hard to stake out a leadership image that's crisp and
gallant when you're seen as flirting with the concept of hooking up
with others.

Iggy's quick ascension also deprived him of the opportunity of
developing and brandishing a new set of policies to accentuate his
differences with Mr. Dion. On events since his takeover, he has been
reluctant to put out firm policy positions. He is seen as strong on
foreign policy, but developments abroad have brought him more
unhelpful news. The renewed Israeli-Palestinian clash highlights an
area where his credibility is, at best, suspect. On the invasion of
Lebanon in 2006, the reputed wordsmith stumbled over his words twice,
first saying he wasn't losing any sleep over civilian casualties, then
saying the Israelis had committed war crimes.

The party he inherits is not in the gruesome shape that some suggest.
The last election was actually far from its worst performance. In four
other elections, the Liberals finished with lower seat totals. In most
other defeats, the party didn't hold the winner to a minority as it
did this time. Its record low score in the popular vote total was
misleading because five parties competed in this election, whereas
there were three in many of the others.

But the Liberals' image has to be turned around, and the thinker
doesn't have the luxury of much thinking time. He has to move quickly.
At least thus far, unlike in Mr. Dion's case, he has been spared the
bite of Conservative attack ads. He warned Mr. Harper against
resorting to that kind of garbage and the PM, pilloried over his bid
to strip parties of public funding, is perhaps reticent to unleash his
dogs of war, at least for the moment.

He may feel he doesn't have to, considering all the negative
publicity over the coalition. Mr. Ignatieff is in a bind on this. It
isn't exactly a sponsorship scandal he has been handed, as was the
case for Paul Martin. But it's an albatross just the same.

Public opposition to the coalition idea has been allowed to cement.
No concerted attempt by Mr. Ignatieff or his followers has been made
to discredit misconceptions surrounding it. If Iggy really wants to
keep this option open, he should be loudly making the case of how
coalitions have worked in Europe, how they are more democratically
representative than single-party governments, how the Bloc Quebecois
could be kept at arm's length with no veto power in a coalition.

It's probably too late to succeed with such a campaign. But the
coalition question is one on which Mr. Ignatieff has to fish or cut
bait, lest he be Dionized. He has to get himself out of the early
limbo. It needs to be emphasized that he has only just begun his
leadership journey. But it also needs to be emphasized that opening
steps are steps remembered. His low profile speaks too much of a party
inclined to stay the course, as opposed to being in a rush to change
it.
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