Second Thots

I happen to think that there's a very unfortunate trend in Canadian politics. Specifically, people from various quarters tend to dump on political leaders, especially those in opposition, as soon as there's even a whiff of trouble or controversy. They did it with Stephen Harper, and he's managed to hold his own as prime minister. And they're doing it now with Michael Ignatieff, who I still think deserves the chance to hold his own before all is said and done.

Nevertheless, I'm sure that the premature obituaries on the guy will keep flooding in. After all, it's Canada, right? I mean, could you imagine American commentators writing off presidential contenders many months before an election? As much as they loved Obama, McCain was pretty much given a fighting chance all the way to the end, wasn't he? After all, there's a lot at stake in American elections, isn't there?

I'd like to think that there's a lot at stake in Canadian elections, too. But apparently not. Apparently we can keep dismissing prime ministerial contenders at the drop of a hat. It must be the Canadian way.

UPDATE (11:52 am): Upon publishing this blog post, and browsing the one preceding it, it might surprise some that someone who is a harsh critic of Ignatieff's as I am would turn around and defend him against other critics. But, in a nutshell, I'd like to think that there's a difference between criticism and egg-throwing, and I'd also like to think that I don't engage in the latter.