Seventeen Months

In a 171 to 133 vote, the House passed a historic no-confidence motion exactly one year and five months after Canadian voters elected the Liberals.

So why does this idiot look like he just won the pole at Circuit Mont-Tremblant? Paul Martin and his gang don't make it a year and a half. It's going to be interesting to see how (or if) this story plays out in the American Big Media; I mean, Nick and Jessica are splitsville, so how are we supposed to follow such silly foreign minutiae?

"This is not just the end of a tired, directionless, scandal-plagued government," (Stephen) Harper said after Monday's vote. "It's the start of a bright new future for this country." The opposition is banking on the public's disgust with a corruption scandal involving the misuse of funds targeted for a national unity program in Quebec. An initial investigation absolved Martin of wrongdoing, but accused senior Liberal members of taking kickbacks and misspending tens of millions of dollars in public funds.

I both adore and am freaked out by Canada. I mock them and pray for them. As a nation, they'd be a great metaphorical sandbox playmate if they'd only come equipped with big-sandbox toys.

There's going to be lots more to read and write about with this one, as elections aren't until mid-January. That'll give Ottawa lots of time to shower the non-Ontario provinces with big handouts/payoffs/whatever they call it up there.

Captain Ed is, of course, all over it already.

The CBC doesn't offer a lot more about the vote, but they do have Paul Martin calling the Tories "Neo-Conservatives". What does that mean -- that Stephen Harper wants to invade Iraq to establish seeds of democracy in the Middle East? Or perhaps Martin thinks it just sounds scary. If that's an example of how Martin will campaign over the next six to eight weeks, the Liberals may want to rethink the leadership while they still have a chance.