Quote du Jour: The Infallible Prime Minister

I have never in my life knowingly done anything wrong.

- Brian Mulroney
Oliphant Commission testimony, May 19, 2009

Someone nominate the man for sainthood!
 

Mulroney on the Defensive

Brian Mulroney is a pathetic shell of a man. If you ask him why, he'll say that his biggest mistake was meeting Karlheinz Schreiber - leading, as we all know by now, to his acceptance of envelopes of disputed amounts of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash under the table. He says he's sorry about that. From all appearances, he's more sorry that he has had to admit it publicly.

After 2 days of softball questions from his lawyer Guy Pratte at the Oliphant Commission, the commission's counsel, Richard Wolfson, hammered Mulroney this morning about why he didn't reveal his business relationship with Schreiber when he was under oath in 1996 - stating that he only met with Schreiber for "coffee". Mulroney, claiming his interrogators wanted to "kill" him, repeatedly stated that nobody had asked him. His propensity to answer simple questions with long, unrelated diatribes leading him in whichever direction he chooses to go under oath, then and now, belies the idea that those lawyers at that time had failed (as Mulroney contended). They asked questions. He gave answers that he wanted to give.

Wolfson made the point that, as a former (supposedly honourable) prime minister whose business with Schreiber was legitimate (at least according to Mulroney), he shouldn't have had any qualms back in 1996 about talking about the so-called "retainer" money Schreiber had provided. But they didn't ask about it!, poor Brian insisted.

It's everybody else's fault, you see. If only... If only they had asked about those business arrangements back then (even though they had absolutely no way of knowing about them and Mulroney was quite happy to talk all about Marc Lalonde's business with Schreiber at length but obviously not his own), poor Brian and his family could have been spared this Greek-style tragedy.

The drama continues... as does the testimony. No matter what, however, the time is long past for Mulroney to rehabilitate his very tarnished reputation. They don't call him 'Lyin' Brian' for nothing. He's an arrogant, paranoid, defensive man who wants us to believe that he is entitled, by his very existence, to be redeemed. The reality that he continues to create defies that fantasy.

Related:

Mulroney blames reporters for show of emotion (Have I mentioned how pathetic he is?)

 

Lyin' Brian Under Oath

Brian Mulroney, the former Conservative prime minister whom Harper and his bunch have recently tried so desperately to brand as a non-Conservative - a pre-emptive strike before his appearance at the Oliphant Commission - began his testimony this morning in an emphatic, Nixonian 'I am not a crook' style.

Right out of the gate, Mulroney tried to play the sympathy card:

Former prime minister Brian Mulroney said Tuesday at a federal inquiry he hid his business dealings with German-Canadian businessman Karlheinz Schreiber to avoid the rumours and speculation that fuelled [sic] allegations against him in the Airbus affair.

"The enormity of those events scarred me and my family for life. And it explains my conduct in trying to keep private the private commercial transaction I entered into with Mr. Schreiber after I left office, so as to avoid the same kinds of deceitful and false purveying of information that had led to the original Airbus matter in the first place."

Mulroney received a $2.1-million settlement after he sued for defamation when his name was publicly mentioned in connection with a 1995 investigation into the sale of the Airbus jets to Air Canada.

Poor Brian. So misunderstood.

Canadians will have to choose between live coverage of 2 scandals today as MP Ruby Dhalla testifies before the standing committee on citizenship and immigration in an attempt to fend off the Nannygate allegations.

All in all : drama everywhere you look.

Related:

Watch the happenings live online on CPAC's site.
 

Friday Fun: The Mulroney/Schreiber Affair for Dummies

Quote du Jour: The "Jihad" Against Brian Mulroney

Apparently, radical Islamofascists are after Brian Mulroney.

Via the CBC:

Earlier in the day, Mulroney's spokesman, Robin Sears, urged the Commons ethics committee to quickly end its "partisan" probe into the former prime minister's business affairs, suggesting it was part of a "15-year jihad" against him.

"This has been like a 15-year jihad against Mulroney and his family by his enemies — led by Mr. Schreiber and enabled by some in the media," Sears told CBC News.

"It is time to bring this to a close. There really is no case left to answer."

Right. You wish.

Anyway, apparently the ethics committee members, Karlheinz Schreiber, the Canadian media and anyone who has ever criticized Mulroney are all radical Muslim, jihad-issuing clerics. Who knew?
 

Mulroney Refuses to Testify Again

Okay, first of all, Brian Mulroney has a website? Who knew?

Here's what's posted there tonite:

Guy Pratte today wrote to the House of Commons Ethics Committee Clerk declining Paul Szabo’s request for Mr. Mulroney to appear on Thursday, February 28, 2008.

A detailed response will be sent to Mr. Szabo on Wednesday, February 27, 2008.

Mr. Pratte and Robin Sears will be available for media inquires on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at the National Press Theatre, 10am EST.

Hmmm...I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that neither Allan MacEachen nor Elmer MacKay backed up Mulroney's lies.
 

Conservatives Behaving Badly

A roundup - because they're just behaving so badly this week.

First up: Tories threaten election over crime bill. Nothing like trying to bully your way into an election and blaming the senate for it at the same time. The Liberals are reportedly poised to bring down the government over the budget instead of being conned by Harper's "cute trick" (as Ralph Goodale put it to CBC's Don Newman) of doing the government's bidding on the crime bill.

Now, let's see if I can figure out what the Harper gov't is up to re: the Afghanistan war.

- Harper says he wants 1,000 more troops in Kandahar and has called for a debate on the fate of the mission in late March - after the budget (when the gov't might fall) and after the March 1 deadline he's given the senate to pass the crime bill, or else, and before the NATO meeting in April.

- When asked in parliament yesterday why he has dragged his feet, this was his response:

Mr. Michael Ignatieff (Etobicoke—Lakeshore, Lib.):

Mr. Speaker, for two years, there has been mounting criticism of the Prime Minister's failure to lead in Afghanistan.

This week we learned the Prime Minister has finally, at the eleventh hour, begun to call NATO countries to ask for much needed assistance for our troops. He should have made those calls last year, and we said so.

Why did it take a year, with the deadline fast approaching, for the Prime Minister to realize the urgency of the situation and take responsibility—


Right Hon. Stephen Harper (Prime Minister, CPC):

Mr. Speaker, during the last two years, while the Liberal Party completely reversed itself and decided we should suddenly pull out of Afghanistan, the government was working with our allies to strengthen that mission.

We have seen important contributions from many countries, including an additional contribution from Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States. These contributions are very important.

We will continue to press for additional contributions from NATO because we think those are important. However, we do not think there is cause, if NATO is willing to give us what we need, to abandon our commitments to the Afghan people.

In other words, don't blame me. Who needed phone calls? It's not like I'm the prime minister or anything...

Remember when Harper promised to govern with "transparency, honesty, and accountability"?

Right.

Anyway, if an election is forced before the Afghanistan war debate or as a matter of non-confidence over that motion, the Harperites can then ride into their campaign proclaiming that the opposition parties chose to abandon Afghanistan. They're far too predictable. At the same time, of course, that would let Harper off the hook (he thinks) for not dealing with the deadline to our commitment next February. In the meantime, the fate of Canada's soldiers in Afghanistan will stall while he plays more political games. How does that even begin to make sense to him or his party - except for the fact that, as several Liberal MPs repeated in question period on Wednesday, they are "vindictive, dishonest and incompetent"?

No kidding.

Next: John Baird (bully extraordinaire) will be investigate by a commons committee over allegations of political interference in Ottawa's election. He will no doubt use the excuse "The Liberals made me do it" to defend himself.

News on the isotope front: A rep of MDS Nordion (which came under attack in the CMA earlier this week testified to a commons committee investigating the Chalk River isotopes fiasco, that natural resources minister Gary Lunn was informed of the urgency of the situation 12 days before Lunn has publicly admitted he knew what was going on. (no link on that yet)

The Mulroney/Schreiber affair: Mulroney either a) had really clueless advisors or b) has people who have no qualms about lying for him.

The only time between the spring of 2000 and February 2008 that Lavoie said he ever brought up the payments with Mulroney was in a phone call the evening before Mulroney testified before the committee.

Lavoie served as assistant chief of staff to Mulroney during his time in office and was later hired as his public relations consultant.

He suddenly stepped down as Mulroney's spokesman in late November after years in the post, saying he was too busy with his job as vice-president of media giant Quebecor Inc.

C'mon...

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Schreiber accused Mulroney of lying to the committee when he testified:

The German-Canadian arms dealer says he paid the former prime minister to lobby the Canadian government, not foreign governments as Mulroney told the ethics committee in December.

The difference is critical because it would be improper for an MP to accept money to lobby the government while in office.
[...]
Mulroney explained that he didn't declare the money on his taxes for six years because he spent it all on travel to places like Russia, France, and China while working for Schreiber.

But Schreiber said that's impossible. He said strict rules on arms exports in Canada and Germany would have made it illegal to ship to what he described as "communist" countries like China and Russia.

Thus ends this episode of conservatives behaving badly.
 

Mulroney Running Scared: Spector Testifies Today

Despite insisting last week that what Mulroney's chief of staff Norman Spector was prepared to reportedly testify to today is beyond the ethics committee's mandate in the Mulroney/Shreiber investigation, Mulroney's lawyers have launched what the G&M calls a "pre-emptive strike" one hour before Spector is set to appear before the committee this afternoon by providing documents relating to that supposedly irrelevant testimony:

The documents include a statement by Marilyn Burk, former assistant to the Mr. Spector, concerning the removal of confidential files from the prime minister's office, according to a media release.

There are also “various documents relating to the system of expense management at the PMO and OLO” and “to payments for 24 Sussex furnishings.”

Here's what Spector plans to submit to the committee:

Mr. Spector, former chief of staff to Mr. Mulroney in the early 1990s, has said he'll be bringing documented evidence to Parliament Hill of other cash transactions.

“The MPs will be interested no doubt in my good knowledge of the Bear Head project when I was chief of staff to Mr. Mulroney,” Mr. Spector wrote in French last week in Le Devoir newspaper.

“I equally hope to help the committee understand the motivations and the behaviour of my old boss by discussing other cases,” Mr. Spector continued.

“Finally, documents in hand, I believe myself quite capable of helping them identify the source of large quantities of money reported at 24 Sussex while Mr. Mulroney was prime minister of Canada.”

Today's hearing starts at 3:30 pm ET. Watch it live on CPAC.

Popcorn!

Related:

Spector's Jan 28, 2008 letter to Paul Szabo, chair of the ethics committee.

Ex-Mulroney chief of staff to tell MPs about cash

Background: The Fifth Estate's "Brian Mulroney: The Unauthorized Chapter"
 

Schreiber Testifies Today

Karlheinz Schreiber is on the hill and you can bet that more than a few Conservatives are very, very nervous but Schreiber's lawyer, Eddie Greenspan, has said his client won't have anything to say:

He's been promised access to his documents to prepare his testimony. But no papers were seen to be sent from his home in Ottawa Wednesday night to the detention centre.

Schreiber's lawyer Edward Greenspan told the Toronto Star this week that his client "will not speak" at the committee Thursday because he's not going to get a chance to properly prepare.

"Now, if they [MPs] think by some grandstanding political play they can make political hay out of that, fine," Greenspan was quoted in Wednesday's Star. "But they must understand he will not speak."

"What are they going to do if he refuses? Put him in jail?"

But Szabo said unlike in a court of law, the committee hearing rules don't allow Schreiber to refuse to answer questions.

"I believe he will. I believe he'll be there and everything's going to go as you would expect. But should that happen, hypothetically, that would be a matter that the House may cite him for contempt of Parliament."

According to some pundits however, the CW seems to be that Schreiber will testify at least partially about what he and Mulroney were up to while saving the big story for the upcoming public inquiry - if he's allowed to stay in Canada until it's in progress.

Earlier this week, on CBC's Politics with Don Newman, one Conservative MP said that the inquiry could go ahead without Schreiber - as if his testimony was inconsequential and unnecessary. I'm sure the Cons would like nothing better than to see things happen that way, giving Mulroney the spotlight to obfuscate whatever the truth might be. What's obvious though is that this scandal will definitely come back to haunt the Cons if they're seen as protecting the former PM, as they've already tried to do - and so it should. The party that bills itself as tough on crime with the ultimate moral authority as far as taking responsibility goes has already shown once again that it has double standards when one of its own has allegedly been involved in corruption and illegal activities.

You can watch the ethics committee hearing live on CPAC beginning at 11 am ET. CBC and CTV will also be airing the proceedings. Whatever happens, it's sure to be interesting. Grab your popcorn.

Related:

The Globe & Mail has more, including video of Schreiber's arrival on the hill today along with some background information.

CBC's The Fifth Estate aired the original story that brought these allegations to light through its recent interview with Schreiber and provides a detailed history of the events.
 

Moving Again & Assorted Drivel

Moving Day: Thursday.

Not sure when I'll be back on the internets since we have to straighten out the router situation at the new place.

Oh, and it's not that I'm ignoring the Mulroney/Schreiber scandal. I've just been too busy to follow all of the details. Plus, washed-up assholish politicians like Mulroney should be put out to pasture somewhere never to be seen or heard from again. He makes my skin crawl - always has. So, it's just annoying having to deal with him being front and centre in the news again. But, of course, I hope he gets his ass handed to him on a plate and that Steve goes down with him. That would be sweet. A gal can dream...

I can't believe we have to live with this US election crap for another year. No wonder Americans are sick and tired of their politicians. Their electoral system sucks. Yes you're right: I don't have to pay attention to it. Just call me a rubber-necker at a messy car accident. It's repulsive and fascinating at the same time. Well, maybe "fascinating" is the wrong word. "Entertaining" might be more appropriate. Entertaining - like a really bad sitcom. Hmmm...well it gives me something more to write about. Ya. That's the ticket.

penlan sent me a link to this Global Incident Map site. It's got little flashing icons for suspicious events happening around the world. I suspect most of those are real events - not the faux crap that Bushco likes to trot out, especially before xmas. After 9/11 he told everybody to "go shopping" and ever since then he's been trying to scare the pants off everybody by publicizing you're all going to be killed in a shopping mall by al Qaeda stories. Which reminds me: Buy Nothing Day is on Nov 23rd this year. Take a day off from shopping. That way you get to outwit al Qaeda (ha!), Bush and WalMart. Sounds like a plan to me.

Speaking of so-called terror, terror, here's a story you might want to check out: Sensitive Guantánamo Bay Manual Leaked Through Wiki Site.

Here's another one: America and the world's executioners join efforts to block UN moves to end death penalty. (You just know that that one makes Steve drool. If only he wasn't Canadian. Sucks to be him.)

And, whoops.

Okay, that's it for now. Play nice, stay warm and wear a hat. See you soon.

Update:

I missed this bit of good news about Lt Ehren Watada last week. More about Watada here if you're not familiar with his story of refusing to serve in Iraq and subsequently being prosecuted for it. Score one for conscientious objectors.
 

Canadian News Roundup

Busy getting ready to move next week but these stories caught my eye:

- Pigs do fly. Steve is going to investigate his bff Brian Mulroney. He didn't exactly have much of a choice though, did he? (h/t penlan)

- If elected, Dion vows to slash poverty rates. He'd better have a different plan than the last Liberal government or that's just another empty promise. (Have you seen those ridiculously immature ads being run to mock Dion? Did the election campaign start and I missed it or what? If the Conservatives think they have to run ads like that during the off-season, that shows they must be a tad scared of what might happen to them when the next election is really called. They're looking desperate, don't you think?)

- Speaking of ads, I don't know who produced this video clip in response to the immoral Conservatives refusing to seek clemency for Canadians on death row in countries that are democracies (and are they kidding thinking the US is anything resembling a democracy these days with its horrendous human and civil rights abuses and a boy king at the helm who relished his days executing people in Texas?), but kudos to whoever took the time to put the clip together. And speaking of the death penalty, if you missed Bill Moyers' Journal on Friday nite, watch the interview with Thomas Cahill online. It's definitely worth seeing.

- The Center for Constitutional Rights (please visit their site) has launched Maher Arar's appeal but they'll have to get past the "national security" hurdle that resulted in the case being dismissed in a lower court. On another front in this case:

NEW YORK - Gasps broke out in a U.S. federal appeals court Friday as a U.S. government lawyer spoke of Maher Arar's "unequivocal membership of al-Qaida."

One of the court's three sitting judges echoed the reaction of many in the public gallery, declaring the statement stunned him too.

Not only has a Canadian judicial inquiry cleared Arar of having any terrorism links, but U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has admitted the U.S. government did not properly handle his case.

"It was kind of a shocking statement with which to start," Judge Robert Sack told Dennis Barghaan, one of three government attorneys opposing Arar's bid to see his lawsuit against the U.S. government reinstated.

Arar lawyer Maria Lahood hinted outside the courtroom the judge's reaction bodes well for Arar's case.

"To me, it was a sign the judge knew this was an innocent man," she said.

One can only guess what kind of bullshit "evidence" has been manufactured to back up that supposed al Qaeda link.

- New Khadr witness discovered. That could be a major development. In the meantime, our useless federal government is still leaving Omar Khadr to rot in Gitmo. If it had any concern for "Canada's standing in the world" (which it claims to when it defends continuing our presence in Afghanistan), it would actually try to help Khadr get out of legal limbo. In this case though, pigs won't be flying anytime soon.

- Looking for an old movie to rent this weekend? If you haven't seen it (and I'm sure some of you young whippersnappers out there haven't), check out In the Name of the Father. Caution: It will remind you of the Bush regime. Prepare to be infuriated.

If you live in Calgary, I'm looking for 3 (free) things: a wireless router for the new place, a dvd player (I've never owned one besides the one I have in this used laptop I recently got - really) and a flat panel monitor (any size) to replace my gargantuan 21" monitor that's as heavy as a teevee and which I'll either trade or give away. Drop me a line. My e-mail's up there on the left and the bonus, of course, is that you'd get to meet anonymous me in real life (oh how exciting!!). No stalkers please. My life is already interesting enough, thanks. (And yes, I belong to Freecycle™ and have posted wanted ads there and elsewhere).

I also found a local guy who's into recycling/refurbishing computer stuff that he then gives away to those in need. Just gave away my old 486 that I was using as a footstool. Glad someone can use it for its real purpose. I used it for years. (Yes, I'm still stuck in the 90s). If you want his number, let me know.

One last thing, my movers collect and donate things for Afghan/Pakistani refugees settling in the Calgary area. If you have something to donate, e-mail me and I'll forward your e-mail to them. I know someone did e-mail me the last time I mentioned them but I lost the e-mail. Sorry.
 

With friends like this...

Just one day after Brian Mulroney gushed about what a great job the Harper government is [supposedly] doing, we learn that Mulroney has been ordered to pay $470,000 to Karlheinz Schreiber.

Whoops.

In his statement of claim, Mr. Schreiber said the cash was to enlist Mr. Mulroney's help in establishing an arms factory in Quebec and a pasta-machine business.

I hereby dub this case the Rifles and Ravioli lawsuit.

The lawsuit claimed Mr. Mulroney did not follow through on his business commitments.

The former prime minister, who had a deadline to respond to the lawsuit, did not do so, which meant that the court ordered him this week to pay Mr. Schreiber the $300,000, plus interest, which works out to about $470,000.

And Mulroney's reaction?

Asked this week whether his forthcoming memoirs would fully explain the $300,000 payments, the former prime minister simply urged a reporter to purchase the volume.

“Buy a copy. Buy a copy. Buy a copy.”

Guess he'll have to sell more than a few copies to pay that judgment.