NEWS FLASH: Liberals Reborn from Ashes

Brilliant Rebuilding Part 1:

Yesterday we learned that rumoured leadership aspirant Jane Stewart was hired as acting leader Bill Graham's chief of staff. Like Paul Zed would say, this decision comes from the "department of good ideas". Not only is Jane Stewart a competent manager and former Minister with good political bona fides she was also chair of the liberal caucus for a number of years and is on speaking terms with literally everyone.

This woman is peacemaking incarnate when it comes to the Liberal party. As CP put it, “Stewart is seen as a party loyalist first and foremost.” I don't know that I've heard a single story about her that doesn't include a reference to her habit of giving people big hugs or her natural maternalism when it comes to squabbling Liberals. While I personally would have been happy to see her as a leadership candidate I know she and Bill will make a fantastic team when it comes to "being the glue that holds the party together while the constituent parts are all fighting one another".

Brilliant Rebuilding Part 2:

One of the hardest things for me to watch last election was news coverage of the Hamilton nomination meeting where Sheila Copps’ career as a liberal MP was unceremoniously ended by an ugly and public display of the worst abuses of internecine warfare. The fact that she and other “exiled” Liberals like Kinsella took to relentlessly pointing out the flaws of the Martin administration could be understood, given the abuses they suffered. To be honest though, I was surprised to read this article. In one move, two Liberal representatives will have put all sides at one table for a good party and will have kicked the process of “party renewal” into high gear.

I recognize that Sheila Copps is not universally respected but surely we can all agree that the 30+ years of dedicated service to the Party and the country deserves at worst our thanks and more likely our respect and admiration. Not only will this “evening of peacemakers” be good for the party and for healing the wounds of the past few years it has the added bonus of giving political reporters something to write about other than wild leadership speculation.

Brilliant Rebuilding Part 3:

Bill Graham has started to find his legs as Leader of the Opposition. With a new chief of staff and the support of a new caucus, Graham has started to put the focus of the chattering classes where it belongs, on the rocky start of the first Conservative government in over a decade. With Martin’s “astonishment” at Emerson’s defection, Fortier’s new Chief of staff, not to mention the apparent inability of Conservative Ministers to find competent candidates to fill key positions in their office, Graham has a good bit of opposing to do in the coming days. Yesterday and today are evidence of a good start.