Take a Step Back and Breathe

Once again, people have gotten too hyped up about things. I think people got too hyped up at Dion for what (originally) seemed like an honest failure to cite. I think people got too hyped up at Brison, Dryden, and Dion over the poll issues. And now, I think people are getting to hyped up at Volpe (and more recently and minorly, Ignatieff) over a few individuals improperly signed up.

In the first instance, I think that all of these mistakes are very minor, and I don't think that any of them derived or intended to derive major advantages from having done what happened.

Moreover, I think that all of these mistakes were caused by people on their various campaign teams, not the candidates themselves. In situations where leadership candidates themselves commit minor but morally questionable errors, I am quite willing to judge. In situations where leadership candidates' campaigns commit minor errors, probably unintentionally, I think it is absolutely ludicrous to fault the candidate himself. It does no good to anyone, turns this leadership race into a mud-slinging fest, and weakens the institutional credibility of the Liberal Party itself.

Let's save our mud-slinging for active and intentional attempts by the leadership candidates to undertake actions which substantially have the effect of weakinging the Liberal Party. Like Bob Rae and his continued support for the NDP.