Thursday, February 10, 2005
Chretien and Martin: Saviours
THROWING DARTS
There was a disturbing line of defence used in the testimonies provided by both Jean Chretien and Paul Martin at the Gomery Inquiry.
For Jean Chretien, it was saving the country. For Paul Martin it was saving the nation's finances. For both of them, it was about allowing these so-called grand missions in life distract them from being responsible for what happened with the sponsorship file.
In allowing themselves these mistakes under their watch, what they're trying to feed Canadians is a fundamental contradiction which we probably should be skeptical of accepting.
For Chretien, the sponsorship program was his baby; his effort to keep the nation together. Yet he expects us to believe that he couldn't do anything about the 'mistakes' which amounted to about a $100 million in alleged fraud and corruption.
For Martin, the sponsorship program was part of his financing scheme, his effort to save the country from being Argentina. Yet he expects us to believe that he couldn't do anything about the 'mistakes', which completely contradicts the notion he was a financial manager of the utmost skill and resolve. He wants to take credit for the big picture, yet leave the rotten eggs to the minions that were apparently out of his reach in government.
Chretien was the saviour of the country - except when it came to the sponsorship program. Martin was the saviour of the country too - except when it came to the sponsorship program.
Don't you just love it when our heroes come to the rescue? Except, of course, when they don't?
