UPDATED: Stephen Harper And Dean Del Mastro: The Bromance Continues

I think this video amply illustrates their relationship:



UPDATE: How surprising - despite his continued proclamations of innocence, the big boy from Peterborough has resigned his seat. In what was described as an emotional announcement (is there any other kind when Harper's former parliamentary secretary speaks?) he articulated the 'noble' reason for his decision:

Del Mastro addressed some of his comments to Conservative Party MPs, [who were soon to begin voting on suspending him from the House] the party he was a part before he was charged in 2013. The party has been eager to distance itself from him since the guilty verdict.

"I told you that I would not put you in a position where you had to vote against me," he said.

"Stay united. I will not divide you. I will not be the one that divides you. I believe too much in what you do."

Oh, by the way, despite his conviction, he gets to keep his pension, which he will be eligible to begin drawing when he turns 55.

At Issue: Harper's Obfuscation

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary offers the following definition of obfuscate: to make obscure; to confuse. As an intransitive verb, it means to be evasive, unclear, or confusing.

I suspect that those engaged citizens following the details of the Senate scandal that continues to dog the Prime Minister and shows no sign of abatement would agree that both forms of the verb apply to the sad Nixonian performance of Stephen Harper and his operatives. During both Parliament's Question Period and TV interviews with the likes of his Parliamentary Secretary, Paul Calandra, the refrain is always the same: "I told Mr. Duffy to repay his inappropriate expenses," and "This was a secret deal between Nigel Wright and Mike Duffy."

As his channeling of Sgt Schultz grows increasingly predictable and tiresome, his credibility (if he really has any) diminishes proportionally. And yet to call the Prime Minister a liar would be unseemly for journalists, so euphemisms abound. Last night's At Issue Panel on The National offers some good examples; the discussion also leaves one with the very real sense of Andrew Coyne's barely contained disgust with the Prime Minister:

Abandoning Ship?

Perhaps the Puffster will receive another lifeline soon?



H/t The Globe and Mail

Cheques and Balances

I guess they really are the key to maintaining both fiscal and democratic health.

But to ensure such a salutary state, people need to get their 'narratives' straight. Perhaps they need some outside assistance?

Party Puppet: House of Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer

And it is not difficult to figure out who is pulling his strings.

Two Pitiable Figures

Dickens' Artful Dodger

Ottawa's Artless Dodger