Leading with weakness

It's well known that one of Karl Rove's favourite political tactics, which appears to have found its way into the Cons' arsenal as well, is to mount a focused attack on an opponent's perceived strengths. But the Libs seem to think there's a corollary about leading with their own weak spot, sending out Michael Ignatieff to criticize the NDP for "propping up" the Cons.

Now, never mind the fact that Ignatieff seems to be in denial about the distinct lack of "propping". Instead, what's most striking is that Ignatieff himself is likely the least-credible Lib in trying to criticize cooperation with Harper.

After all, this is the same Michael Ignatieff who may single-handedly have given Harper carte blanche in Afghanistan (between his own vote and his influence on leadership supporters). And it's the same Ignatieff who, even on the environment, sided with Harper against the other Lib leadership contenders on the question of whether to give up on Canada's Kyoto emission targets.

At this rate, it may not be long before the Libs agree to let Joe Volpe set their "new ethical standard". Which makes for great entertainment for the Libs' competition - but it's hard to see how the Libs stand to gain by giving prominent air time to their least credible voices.