So Much For A' That
Frank, we hardly knew ye.
Colour me slightly disheartened about the news from McKenna today. Coyne is right in referring to him as a "good man" and you can be always be sure of the genuineness of his announcement. The (seemingly) sudden change of heart may raise an eyebrow or two, but you can bet that today's choice is Frank's final word this time around. The Maritimes might be the biggest loser, trading in a McKenna candidacy for those of lesser rivals, Tobin and/or Brison. It should make any organizing in the East that much more interesting, however, and that is all to the good.
CalgaryGrit outlines some further reasons why the move is a positive one for the Liberal party as a whole, particularly #1 and 4. Dion and (to a somewhat lesser extent) Kennedy remain the two most intriguing potential suitors for my money. Ignatieff intrigues as well - I just wonder if his lack of experience can be trusted with such a difficult and inherently "political" job. This time, the party will need someone in the Pearson mold, as opposed to a philosopher king. And unique connections to the West or Quebec could prove extraordinarily advantageous as it unfolds.
Oh, can't you just hear the incessant ring of the telephone in Liberal backrooms around the country? I wonder when the first announcements will begin... It would be nice to see someone get the ball rolling and announce they WILL seek the nomination.
posted by J. A. MacDuff @ 7:15 PM
4 Comments:
No less than 3, you say? I'll take those odds, my friend, and you'll be paying in Guinness.
Tobin may not, either.
How about Paul Wells' mention of Ken Dryden?
I like it. That's my post tomorrow.
Now that McKenna and Tobin are out of the running, it's very hard to pick out one favorite at this point. It really depends on who decides to run, and who rises to the occasion come convention time. That said, I'm going to stand by my old predictions of Anne McLellan and Michael Ignatieff for the candidates with the best shot of winning- of course this is presuming they decide to run. But I'll add a couple more names to my most likely candidate list- Scott Brison and Stephan Dion. Honestly, I think any of these 4 have a good chance of pulling it off if they decide to run. Normally, I would discount Brison because he's a recent defector. But he has a lot charisma, he's associated with the fiscally conservative wing of the party (the Libs need a FC to have a chance of winning), and he's a very good speaker (look at the Cons last leadership convention). I think these 4 have the best chance of winning it, and I really couldn't put one ahead of the pack here.
But it really is wide open now, I could see plenty of lesser known candidates having a shot at it too. I think old-timers like Jane Stewart and Pierre Pettigrew would have a shot if they decided to run. But, it would also be a perfect opportunity for some young upstart to make a run for it- which really could be just about any young and ambitious MP with the cajones.
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