Will Hanging On Help?

The news this week from Jean Chretien's camp varied depending on the day. On Sunday, the day of his unexpected cabinet shuffle which proved that one can only get fired in the Liberal caucus for ineptitude and insubordinance not unethical behavior, we heard that "In public life there always are problems and we have to manage those problems." This was followed by a tersed "Comment, ca va?" in Rome on Monday, highlighting, if anything, that Chretien does have some sense of patience before he goes for the juggular.

On Tuesday, Chretien attempted to highlight the plight of the politician in trying to do what is best for his riding and his country [and also his friends]. He implored the public with "Do you want us to be eunuchs in our job? We have to do our job." Grandstanding at best, however, the pollsters must have informed him that such self-endearing, sympathy-laden rhetoric doesn't wash with a Canadian public disillusioned with the office of the politician itself.

So, on Wednesday and Thursday he attacked and defended, asking Thusrsday for "the names of the people who are, you know, double crossing the rest of the caucus and cabinet" and then suggesting that he will "not apologize to any Canadians", citing that his actions and those of his cabinet ministers were warranted in the fractious environment that was Canada in 1995.

Those of you who were expecting denouement to this lovely little week of angst and anger should have remembered who we're dealing with. Friday brought on the decision to end all leadership campaigns within the Liberal party (except his own of course), effectively taunting Paul Martin into quitting or putting his money (and believe me, there is lots of it) where his mouth is.

This decision has been placed by most commentators within the history of the Liberal Party, where no successful coup of a sitting leader has ever been undertaken and within the biography of Jean Chretien, ("all his life he's been underestimated" followed by Chretien's newest epitaph, "I love a fight"). However, one must stop to think about actions and aims at this point.