Second Thots

I'm wondering how far the Liberals think they'll get with their current attacks on the government about the Zaccardelli resignation. I suppose they're tying to seize upon the perception — and I think it's a justified one — that Harper was trying to protect the former RCMP commissioner. However, in the grand scheme of things, even if all the allegations the Liberals are hurling are true, we're talking about a few weeks gap between when Zaccardelli should have resigned and when he did resign. This is hardly the making of a scandal.

As Harper and the Conservatives know very well, there is some advantage in keeping potential scandals alive in order to have newspaper columns filled on slow days. It also helps build a case of corruption in government when real scandals end up occurring. However, there also has to be some strategic thinking in your attacks, or else you risk spinning your wheels instead of laying the groundwork for an election campaign. With the Liberals, there's always this sense that they're trying to get Harper back for all his attacks while in opposition. That's short-sighted politics, and it won't get you very far either.