Out of order

It's difficult to disagree entirely with the view that Denis Coderre's resignation as Michael Ignatieff's Quebec lieutenant could theoretically help the Libs in the long run, both in taking Coderre himself out of the spotlight and in potentially eliminating altogether the concept that a single power broken would be appointed to single-handedly choose candidates for the entire province of Quebec.

But there would still seem to be some open questions in the shorter term as to just how much of the Libs' already-limited Quebec machine might be taken out of play (or turned against the Libs) now that Coderre has announced his intention to take his ball and go home in about the most damaging way possible. And considering that Michael Ignatieff is the second Lib leader in a row to conclude both that the lieutenant position was a necessary one and that Coderre was a preferred choice for the job, one would have to figure either that Coderre has some significant organizational heft which he can withdraw from the party, or that the Libs' judgment about their own Quebec operation has been even worse than would seem to be the case from the outside.