Second Thots

I read it but I still can't believe it. Jason Cherniak is telling Canadians that: a) nobody is allowed to criticize Stéphane Dion; b) those who do are a part of some Conservative conspiracy to smear his precious leader.

Let me deal with each one of his examples. I'll also note that he has accused me in the past of being a part of this conspiracy, even though I'm not a Blogging Tory nor am I in any way connected to anyone else politically. My thoughts are my own and are justified by reason. That anyone thinks it's the product of a conspiracy means that they think I have the smarts of many people. In a way, I find that to be very flattering. Thanks.

Stéphane Dion's Frenchman status. Why in the world is it not legitimate to ask why someone who wants to be prime minister of this country doesn't give up his formal ties to another country? That Liberals like Cherniak and even Dion don't think this is a serious question says a lot about how much they've learned since the last election. Not only that, but Dion's first reaction was to lash out at anyone who dare question him on this. Then, after he thought about it, he said they might have a point and that he might give up being a Frenchman if it means he can win power again. No one is making this up. This is what Dion thinks is leadership.

Bourque. I'll let Pierre deal with that one. However, what I will say is that Cherniak's problem here seems to be, again, that no one is allowed to question his precious leader on anything. Dion still wants to be a Frenchman? Great. We should sit here and take it, and also take some character assassinations while we're at it. Democracy and freedom of speech at their best.

I should also note that I know of no one who thinks Pierre Bourque is a Conservative, especially since his actual political and family history is tied with the Liberal Party of Canada.

Dion and his "consultation" with the PMO. Cherniak has been tripping over this one from the very start, and he's still doing it. As I have already asked, and am still awaiting a decent answer, why did Dion allow people to assume that he had a direct consultation with Harper? This was reported in the press for weeks. Yet Dion didn't make one phone call to anyone. Instead, Harper had to set the record straight during an interview with the CBC's Don Newman. Why did Dion give the media the impression that he was a part of the consultation process with Harper on the motion to recognize Quebec as a nation? And, if that characterization was accurate, why did he back away from it when challenged by the media upon Harper's clarifications? Yet Cherniak accuses Harper of a smear. Dion is a saint. To hell with facts.

Dion's Baghdad Bob act. I don't know how brainwashed a person you have to be to not recognize the absurdity of what Dion did on Friday morning. Thursday evening, Tory blogger Stephen Taylor claimed he had a 100% exclusive scoop in reporting Wajid Khan's imminent floor-crossing the next day. Some people would have taken this as a sign that the game was over. What did Dion do? The very next morning he talks about looking forward to working with Khan in caucus in the future and that he thinks he will remain a Liberal. Shortly thereafter, Khan had a press conference with Stephen Harper announcing that he was now a Conservative. Gee, no one saw that one coming, did they?

Liberals like Cherniak are trying to suggest that Dion simply did not know, so that's why he said what he said. So, the rest of Canada knew, but Stéphane Dion didn't. We're somehow not allowed to suggest that there's a leadership gap in there somewhere. Dion issues farcical statements in light of events around him, the tanks are on the streets yet he's still claiming victory, but no one is allowed to see the absurdity of it. Whatever, Jason. I'm going to be holding up the queen of diamonds shortly, OK?

Dion's Dog Kyoto. I haven't made an issue of this, but Cherniak seems to suggest that no one is allowed to see it as a stunt or just simply lame. Stéphane Dion names his dog Kyoto, so that somehow makes him an actual champion for the Kyoto treaty. We're not supposed to remember Dion's real record on Kyoto, which was absolutely horrible. No, we're supposed to know that he names his dog Kyoto, so then Dion is a real advocate for the environment. That's the humour in the naming of the dog, Cherniak. Oh, a six of clubs. We're not there yet.

I suspect that Cherniak has embarked on this defence of his precious leader, and that it actually might be a part of a campaign, because he's worried. He's desperately worried that the image of Dion as an honest and harmless public servant doesn't square with his actions as leader so far. He's worried that they're efforts and plans to sneak right back into power are being thwarted by the powers of darkness — yes, me, some obscure blogger nobody knows. He's worried that all the campaigning and work of the last year will blow up unceremoniously in his face. Why? Because Stéphane Dion may not be the leader Cherniak was brainwashed to believe he was and is. The queen of diamonds is showing, Jason. Stand back, everybody. It might not be pretty.