| Well no, not exactly. But it's a funny headline, anyway. |
Liberal brass think hearing from the Democrats' top organizer in that party's Nov. 7 electoral triumph south of the border is a brilliantly timed coup. But some are greeting the scheduled appearance of the failed U.S. presidential hopeful, famous for his on-air scream, with resentment.
"I had heard a rumour of it a couple of weeks ago, and I thought, `Oh surely, it can't be true — nobody would make that decision,'" says Toronto MP and leadership candidate Ken Dryden. "I'm really surprised. I can't imagine the sense of it."
Hey! I resent that! Our Loonies are just as insane as your loonies! I think. At least I'm purdy sure. I mean, they are, right? Nuts, I mean? Nuts is nuts, ain't it?
Dryden said it's a mistake to have someone from another country delivering a speech meant to set the tone for a convention wrapping up a nine-month effort to put the party back in touch with Canadians. "Whatever interesting things Mr. Dean might say, and I'm sure he has lots of interesting things to say, it's just not the place. This is an event that has to do with us."
Bob Richardson, a senior organizer for Michael Ignatieff's campaign, adds that Dean is irrelevant to Canadians. "I'll be vacuuming," he quipped.
But some Liberals see no humour in the situation. They are not amused that their party, which has often accused Prime Minister Stephen Harper of marching in lockstep with the United States, is looking to an American to establish the tone of the national convention in Montreal. "This is an insulting choice," said Ray Heard, a well-known Toronto Liberal. "Howard Dean is a loudmouth and the ultimate loser."
| More pouting at the link. |