A rchive Date
[ 02-06-2002 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Canada ]
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[http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/mulroney.html
Liberal glass house showing its cracks
By BEN MULRONEY - Tor the Sun
June 2, 2002
'All of us must try to hold ourselves to the very highest standards of integrity and ethics, and soundness of judgment...' Sounds like a quote from the Liberal Red Book, right?
It's not. It was spoken by Democratic presidential hopeful, Gary Hart, on April 17 1987.
You remember Gary Hart, don't you?
Once upon a time, he was touted as the future of the Democratic Party. He was the man who was going to trounce George Bush and reclaim the White House after eight years of Ronald Reagan republicanism.
Today, he is little more than an answer to a question on the back of a Trivial Pursuit card. The question itself could be: Define "hubris," in two words or less.
When rumours began swirling about his alleged personal indiscretions, Hart dared the press to uncover anything seedy.
"Follow me around, I don't care," he said. "I'm serious. If anybody wants to put a tail on me, go ahead. They'd be very bored."
Follow him they did, and what they uncovered was a little blonde secret named Donna Rice. It ruined his political career and changed the face of the 1988 presidential election campaign.
The fall of Gary Hart was due entirely to Gary Hart himself.
His wounds were self-inflicted. The media did not abuse or stalk the candidate, nor is the public's supposed appetite for scandal to blame.
Hart chose a moral foundation built on quicksand and the rest of the story flowed directly from his arrogance and his belief he could forever remain one step ahead of his personal peccadillos.
Let us fast-forward to 1993.
No one forced the Liberals to publish the Red Book. Or the second one. Or even the third one.
They volunteered to live under an ethical microscope. They claimed they were the Good Guys who would hold themselves to the very highest standards of integrity and ethics, and soundness of judgment, to borrow from candidate Hart.
They put their promises on paper and demanded that we test them according to their own exacting standards.
That is exactly what we have done and, now, they couldn't be more offended.
Why is the media looking for scandal? How dare Opposition MPs open closets and rattle skeletons?
The answers are simple: The media are looking for scandal because we were promised an end to such things.
And skeletons are being paraded about because the Liberals have been telling us that no such skeletons would ever exist again.
Apparently, our government is working on a new ethics package. It will include ethical guidelines to help all MPs avoid conflicts of interest and the appearance of impropriety.
Thanks, but that's about eight years late and a couple hundred million dollars short.
Ethical overhaul
The Liberals told us that they would act ethically right out of the gate, not midway though their third term. Giving us an ethical overhaul today is nothing less than a condemnation of each and every grant and contract handed out by the Liberal government over the past eight years.
Gary Hart played with moral fire and paid the ultimate political price.
Our Liberal government is facing a similar situation. If they do not change course, acknowledge past mistakes and punish those who have broken the rules, the electorate will do so for them.
Define "hubris," in two words or less. How about "Jean Chretien?"
Read Mulroney on Sundays and watch him on talktv's the chatroom and Canada AM on CTV. Reach him at benedictmulroney@hotmail.com Letters to the editor should be sent to editor@sunpub.com
 World Fact Book (CIA)]]
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