Things I don't get

I) The absolute, unshakable conviction that so many pundits have that the NDP cannot, under any circumstances whatsoever from now until the heat death of the universe, form a federal government. In the mind of these people, the acceptable policy spectrum in Canada ranges from moonbat-crazy wingnut like Jim Flaherty [1] to... mushy centrist (and imperialism apologist) Michael Ignatieff. (I think Ignatieff's particular brand of support for the Iraq War marks him as a rightist, but whatever. And no, he doesn't get to walk away from it. Not until the dead tell me they forgive him.) [2]

II) The belief, popular today, that Ignatieff will lead the Liberal party to victory in the next election. I actually think this is crazy, and not just because I have a hard time listening to the man speak. He has the charisma of an empty bucket, his ideas have had world-historical-disastrous consequences, and the entirety of his resumé so far amounts to A) not actually caring for this country much [3] until he thought the top job was open, and B) losing the only serious political contest he's ever faced. To Stéphane Dion.

Given my luck with political predictions, Liberals can take this as a blessing when I say: Stephen Harper has beaten better politicians than Michael Ignatieff, and in the next election I would be unsurprised to see Harper win a majority. I've tried to be as consistent in noting when I'm wrong as I have been consistently wrong (ugh, awful sentence) so if Ignatieff wins I'm sure somebody in comments can think of an appropriate humiliation for me. I suggest I be forced -- forced, I say -- to drink expensive, delicious beer.

III) This idea, according to CTV:

Fife also said senior Liberals have told him that they may not need a coalition to form a new government.

"If they do defeat the Conservative government ... Ignatieff will go to the Governor General and say 'We think we can form the government but we don't have to do it with a coalition,'" Fife said.

Fife noted that the NDP and Bloc would have to support the Liberals because they already have expressed opposition to the Conservative government.

I really, truly don't get how the Liberals think they could go to the GG having violated a signed agreement with the opposition and promise her any kind of stability. But it will keep the dirty fucking hippies of the NDP out of power, so no doubt the Globe and Mail will like it.

[1] Flaherty proposed criminalizing homelessness, and is regarded as a serious person competent to be our finance minister. Jack Layton rightly noted that Paul Martin's spending cuts had the consequence of leading to more homeless people dying on the streets of Toronto, and was pilloried. Your fair and balanced media at work.

[2] You remember how the Democrats ran this candidate -- Barry O-something, I believe -- who opposed the Iraq War and managed to capitalize on that because his country was sick of being run by maniacs? Good work, Liberals, on totally ignoring that example.

[3] Caring for and caring about are two different concepts. I'm sure Ignatieff cares about Canada, I'm just not sure he likes it very much. Ignatieff had opportunities that few people have, and I don't blame him for taking them. But if I have to hear him talk about how much he loves Canada, how everything he's doing he's doing for Canada, when he couldn't be bothered to, y'know, live here for most of his adult life, I may spend the next few months retching. Watching alleged journalists trip all over their tongues to write mash-note doggerel like this is going to be bad enough.