Michael Ignatieff must just feel like it is Christmas everyday. The Rahimelena implosion, which took on new dimensions of absurdity this week with that pathetic committee appearance by Jaffer and Patrick Glemaud, along with Frank Graves's shoot-from-the-hip self-immolation have kept the Liberal Leader's woes out of the spotlight. Is it at all surprising that he wants to talk nothing but Rahimelena in Parliament?
As long as he keeps that story going, the questions about his not-so-great poll numbers, which aren't yet moving even with this issue, and his caucus-policy challenges will get far less attention than they deserve. In the span of a few weeks, all during the Jaffer-Guergis gong show, Ignatieff has messed up a vote on maternal health, gotten in trouble within his party on health-care user-fees and is in the process of potentially wounding eight of his own MPs with his gun-registry games.
Were we not subject to the mind-numbingly dumb exploits of Rahimelena, the misadventures of the Opposition supremo would be on display for all to see. For his own defensive purposes he is staying on offense. Maybe he is starting to pick up this game of politics.