How Can Stevie Back Bevie But Continue to Shun Helena Guergis? (UPDATE)

Well, it’s true!   I did get caught by both my parents that fateful day. It was when I flunked some test and the teacher sent me home with the bad test to have it signed. Mom, if you’re reading this, look below and tell me I did a better job!

I think many of my former classmates who forged signatures did better.

The hits just keep on coming with these Harpercons and this, frankly, the timing couldn’t have been more a propos, given the latest polls from EKOS and Ipsos-Reid had put the Harpercons teetering at majority territory and both the Liberals and the NDP both on the verge of being decimated.  Well, well, well!  Bevie Odeous just set her party, perhaps, a few steps back with her latest revelation:

International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda admitted Monday that she is responsible for modifying a memo that had originally recommended funding for an aid group.

Oda, who was rebuked last week by the Speaker of the House of Commons over the matter, made a statement in Parliament “to set the record straight” and clear up any misunderstanding.

Oh dear!  Oh, and she has a precious excuse and I promise, it’s better than ‘the dog ate my homework’

“The ‘not’ was inserted at my direction,” Oda said in the House of Commons Monday afternoon. “Given the way the document was formatted, allowing only for concurrence, this was the only way to reflect my decision.”

Ain’t that special?  Couldn’t type it over again? Couldn’t reformat it?  Then your page layout people really suck! But that’s hardly here nor there, now is it?

It seems that even the Foreign Affairs parliamentary secretary, Deepak Obhrai seemed to have difficulty defending his beleaguered colleague”

“[The] most important thing is the way it was handled, which she admitted was not … well — but she apologized.”

Yup, there’s a ringing endorsement if I’ve ever seen one.

Now, what is Master Steve gonna do about it? Given that he’s preparing for a spring election (I don’t care how much he doth protest; he’s a gunnin’ for one), this couldn’t have happened at a worse time.  This just isn’t your regular dumb gaffe like Cheryl Gallant opening her mouth about how workers in Newfoundland and Laborador shouldn’t rely on the Coast Guard. No, if it isn’t considered criminal, it should be. Thus, she should be forced to resign not only her cabinet post, but also her seat. It would also be strategically dumb for Stevie to keep Bevie around.

For openers, he would look like a big hypocrite if he did. Remember Helena Guergis? Turned out she wasn’t guilty of anything except being married to a jerk.  The RCMP found absolutely no wrong doing on her part, yet Stevie never allowed her back into caucus. As a minister, Ms Guergis was certainly hapless, and doesn’t deserve to be in cabinet, but she certainly deserved to be back in caucus.   Assuming  Stevie Spiteful wants to keep standing behind Bevie Odeous, how does he explain this while shunning Helena Guergis to the HOC, the voters (would they even care by now? We can hope?), and the media?  Yes, even many of Stevie’s cheerleaders in the mainstream media wouldn’t be able to sell that one with a straight face.  Hell, the opposition would have a field day with this. In fact, that glaring hypocrisy of not allowing an innocent MP back into caucus but allowing a guilty MP to keep her cabinet post, alone should make for a great attack ad.

Furthermore, does Stevie really think the good voters of Durham are going to continue trusting an MP who is guilty of doctoring an official document? It could well cost him a seat that Bevie last won by a landslide. While folks may not support the funding of NGOs dealing with social justice, surely they’re going to have a problem with documents being doctored. Had the original document recommending the continued funding stood, those anti-NGO folks could surely forgive a gaffe, but not this, especially if the Harpercons are running on a tough on crime–lawn order agenda, Bevie’s latest transgression most certainly flies in the face of that agenda, now doesn’t it?  Hey, there’s another attack ad, right there.

As for the loyal Harpercon cheerleaders, how much longer can they still hammer the Liberals over the head with ADSCAM?

Anyhow, there are now t-shirts!

UPDATE: It seems that someone from the wingnut faction is blaming our welfare state for Bevie’s latest stunt.