Strong leadership
I still get a kick out of watching Rick Mercer mock Stephane Dion's decision not to vote against the Conservative budget.
Imagine how much rougher Mercer would have been had he only known Dion's next excuse for not having his Official Opposition officially oppose anything: it's snowing.
So March is out. And April can be quite slushy, too. May has Mother's Day, so you know we can't have an election then. June's out because of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, and July can get plain old hot.
Dion's fecklessness is funny for political comedians like Mercer, and it's a gift from heaven for the Conservatives. But imagine, just for a second, what Dion would be like dealing with real troubles if he were ever to become prime minister -- not pretend troubles from the Parliamentary Press Gallery or the Conservatives but the real challenges and responsibilities of leadership. How do you think Dion would do going toe to toe with President Hillary Clinton if she wanted to renegotiate NAFTA and to end the Auto Pact? Or how do you think Dion would do in a military crisis in Afghanistan, for which our commanders were looking for a speedy decision? Or how about the more predictable matter of making the budgetary decisions that come with a continent-wide economic slow-down?
I just can't picture Dion being decisive, making tough choices, inspiring confidence or otherwise doing what leaders are supposed to do. I don't think his own party can picture it, and I don't think the Canadian public can, either.
Stephen Harper is not every Canadian's cup of tea. But even those who disagree with him would concede that the man can make decisions and execute plans. That's the job of prime minister, for which being the leader of the opposition is a four-year job interview. Dion thinks he's still a professor or a pundit.
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