Outmaneuvered

Seldom does the right substantive result manage to reflect as badly politically as Stephane Dion's stand against extending legislation enabling preventive arrests and investigative hearings. Of course, the main skewering so far has been from Cons claiming the move makes the Libs weak on security. But the move also lacks any concurrent upside for the Libs based on their utterly bizarre choice of explanations for their position.

After all, how can a party plausibly claim to be taking a strong stand on rights when by all indications it would have been willing to extend the provisions if the Cons hadn't left matters so late? Given that voters concerned with rights as a key issue will be able to choose between an NDP which has opposed the measures all along and a Lib party which merely found a process-based excuse to oppose their renewal after putting them in place to begin with, it's hard to see where Dion stands to gain any ground.

And it only looks worse for the Libs in the House of Commons to be flatly rejecting the proposal made by their party-mates in the Senate. In fairness, the primary blame there lies with the upper chamber in giving PMS political cover with its suggestion that an annual report can justify institutionalizing rights violations - but it's Dion and company who'll bear the electoral damage from the inconsistency.

Obviously Dion is doing his best to avoid ceding control over the issue...and that was probably necessary to avoid getting stuck with a "no control over his party" label. But he's been both cornered by the Cons and damaged by his own party once again - and it's worth wondering whether he can possibly compete with Harper over the course of a full election campaign when even a single issue and deadline like this one has given rise to so many problems.