Raise the Hammer

Ignatieff was installed as leader by the wing of the Liberal Party that was opposed to coalition in 2008. Let's say that he did come back to Canada only to become Prime Minister and let's stipulate that he is less than happy with his progress to date. It does not follow that he is determined to achieve that goal by means of a coalition with the N.D.P.

This is a case of a minority of people embracing the Conservative spin because they want to believe in it. There's plenty about Ignatieff not to like politically but one doesn't have to accept a narrative that could have been concocted by Rush Limbaugh, or perhaps, Ezra Levant. The Conservative ads damaged Ignatieff but not fatally. The fact that he has failed to define himself politically has been much more damaging in the long run.

If the Liberals are in as much trouble as they appear to be it is because the adamant rejection of the coalition left them no ideological room to run against the Conservatives and they failed to develop a platform over the two years before the election call that would in any way give Ignatieff a distinct political profile. That's's probably some indication, as well, of Ignatieff's shortcomings as a politician and political leader.

Give Mr. Harper credit. He read the situation well and took the center away from Ignatieff. The question that remains is whether people trust Harper's "centrism" enough to give him a majority. Liberals like David Smith, Scott Reid, and probably Ignatieff himself, believe that they remain the party of Canada's destiny. They do not seem to realize that the Conservatives have changed the game, perhaps permanently, and that the injuries Harper and his circle inflict on themselves do not automatically benefit the Liberal party.

The right wing of the Liberal Party views the NDP with disdain and distaste. Because the Liberals are weak and the the electorate is fragmented they cannot rule out all forms of collaboration but Ignatieff dreams of leading a majority not a coalition. The observation about walking like a duck is silly. If I read him accurately its the academic in him that insists on discussing coalition as a constitutional matter in the midst of an election. But if you want to get down to questions of personal motivation I wouldn't want to look too closely into any political leader, including the Prime Minister.