Angry in the Great White North

At some point, people who gush about Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff, deliberately and inexplicably ignoring the horrible polls and the snickering from the ranks of Canada's media pundits, have to admit that Michael Ignatieff is turning out to be a miserable leader.

The continuing fallout from the Martin Cauchon debacle might be the last straw.  Martin Cauchon, a former Liberal justice minister, wanted back in politics, and insisted that he be allowed to run in the riding of Outremont, his old riding.  Ignatieff's Quebec lieutenant had reserved the riding for businesswoman Nathalie Le Prohon, and had publicly announced that Cauchon would not be running in Outremont.  Ignatieff publicly supported Coderre.for about a day.  Coderre was humiliated by Ignatieff when Ignatieff caved into pressure from Cauchon and from rival Bob Rae.  Ignatieff abruptly turned 180 degrees, tossed Le Prohon and Coderre aside, and gave Cauchon exactly what he had demanded from Michael Ignatieff.

This is leadership?

Well, the Liberal Party is continuing to pay the price for Michael Ignatieff's incompetence:

Denis Coderre will step down Monday as Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff's Quebec lieutenant, CTV News has learned, over a disagreement about the political comeback of one of the Quebec MP's main rivals.

Coderre will hold a news conference this morning in Montreal where he will announce his decision, CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife told Canada AM.

According to Fife, Michael Ignatieff's office was completely unaware of Coderre's plans and said the Liberal leader had not been in contact with his lieutenant over the weekend.

This is a media event carefully planned to wreak the maximum embarrassment on the Liberal Party in general, and Michael Ignatieff in particular.

When's the last time something like this happened that wasn't a prelude to a nasty leadership fight?  But then there is no leadership fight.  Short of Ignatieff resigning, the Liberal Party is stuck with lame duck Michael Ignatieff.

Remember when Newfoundland MPs were taking orders from Danny Williams, the premier of Newfoundland, who insisted that they vote against the budget that Michael Ignatieff had declared had the support of the Liberal Party?  Michael Ignatieff caved and allowed those MPs to vote against the budget, while everyone else in the party had to toe the line.

The apologists insisted this was a one-time thing.  Michael Ignatieff is the leader of the Liberal Party, not Danny Williams.  Ignatieff was being accommodating, not acquiescing, or so the apologists said.

Well, how about now?  Still think he's a leader?  Got any more excuses to explain Ignatieff's flip-flops, or silly chainsaw threats with which to silence Ignatieff's critics?

Oh, and let's remember Michael Ignatieff's words on Friday, declaring his confidence in Denis Coderre:

Ignatieff took pains to emphasize that his change of heart does not amount to a repudiation of his Quebec lieutenant. He praised Coderre's "spirit of compromise and leadership" and said there would have been no resolution without him.

"Mr. Coderre has all my confidence and my personal affection," he said.

Cue the laugh track!  Even as Michael Ignatieff was parroting the words fed to him by his clutch of advisors, Denis Coderre was planning on stabbing Michael Ignatieff in the back.

Consider it this way.  What sort of leader so completely and utterly misreads the intentions of his Quebec lieutenant?  What sort of leader is so completely unaware of what is going on in his party?  What sort of leader surrounds himself with people who give a new meaning to word "clueless"?

And then there's the stuff I know that I can't talk about yet...the Liberal Party had better figure out a solution to the Michael Ignatieff problem, and soon.