Gimme a break

Last week, I noted that as part of the coalition's response to Harper's attempt to cling to power by locking down Parliament, it would be a "gimme" to make sure that the news today - being the day when the Cons were set to be toppled by the Libs' opposition motion - would be dominated by a gathering of MPs and symbolic vote to confirm that Stephen Harper has indeed lost of the confidence of the House of Commons.

So let's see what the Libs have put at the top of the public agenda. There's an internal leadership dispute, and a declaration of their own failure...rather than anything which could possibly create momentum for the coalition (or even against Harper).

Obviously the Cons' combination of greater financial resources and a compliant media will make the coalition's task tough enough to start with. But that makes it all the more important for the coalition to make use of the opportunities it's given. And today's developments are hard to explain if the Libs plan to do anything of the sort.

Update: In fairness, let's note that Stephane Dion's parting message hits the right notes:

I wish to close by making it absolutely clear that my earlier departure does not change the facts of the situation that the Prime Minister has created in the last two weeks.

The Prime Minister and his government refused to lay out a plan to stimulate the economy. The Prime Minister has lost the confidence of the House of Commons. The Prime Minister shut down Parliament to save his job while thousands of Canadians are losing theirs. The Prime Minister has poisoned the well of trust and respect that is necessary for a minority government to work in Parliament - especially in a time of crisis.

Mr. Harper took an economic crisis and added a parliamentary crisis that he then tried to transform into a national unity crisis: this is no way for a Prime Minister of Canada to act.

But I still have to wonder why this couldn't have waited until, say, tomorrow to give the coalition a chance to get its message out first.