No deal. Or is there?

The Star seems to think so, based on the say-so of some Liberal backbenchers:

"There is no deal and there will be no deal between the government and the Conservatives to delay the civil marriage legislation until the fall. Period," Reid said.

"We can't guarantee that Bill C-38 will pass this session if the Conservatives are determined to obstruct and filibuster both it and the budget bill."

But backbench Liberals say it has become obvious in recent weeks that the beleaguered Martin government is not going to force a final vote on same-sex marriage before June 23, which will allow for more debate of the issue in the Commons when MPs return to Ottawa in the fall.

The question here is why the Star takes the word of anonymous backbenchers as to the direction of the government - especially when it also points out that Ken Boshcoff, one of the backbench Liberals who opposes C-38, would rather see a vote now than let the fight drag on through the summer.

I'll grant that the latter part of Reid's quote may leave some room for doubt as well. As already noted, though, there's no need for the Liberals to leave any doubt - nobody wants an election now, and nobody's going to care if the government (particularly with some opposition support) shuts down debate on both bills. If anything, it'll only ensure that Stephen Harper is still grouchy when he hits the barbecue circuit.