It's taken a while but the rumblings from some within the Liberal Party have finally emerged as the story that there are plans afoot to dump Jim Bennett as party leader after only a few weeks on the job.
Here's the VOCM version, although Craig Jackson of the Telegram broke the story yesterday.
Okay, so Bennett isn't the sharpest knife in the political drawer. Okay, so he doesn't have a group of close confidants and advisors helping out. Okay, so he doesn't consult much with caucus.
But here's the thing.
The rocket scientists in the Liberal Party who decided the party only needed a few months to get ready for the next election, who did sweet fanny adams to get rid of the party debt over the past two years and who didn't put forward a candidate of their own are likely the same diminutive ersatz Macchiavellis who now cook up this idea to dump Bennett and replace him with someone else all in even less time than the party got Bennett.
It's not like the Party hasn't had its fair share of leaders with little or no election potential or guys who got stuffed in as leader when they couldn't have won the job the proper way.
It's not like anyone on the planet expects the party to do anything of consequence as the Danny machine steamrolls over them in late 2007.
So let Bennett run the place for a while and then deal with whatever problems there are later on.
If nothing else, as David Cochrane has been pointing out over the past couple of days, a leadership review followed by a leadership contest will tap the available cash and likely bankrupt the party financially.
Think, people. Think.
There is plenty to keep everyone occupied over the next few years. The opportunity to make a contest out of 2007 was lost in the time wasted getting to the point where Jim Bennett was the only guy willing to take on the leader's job. The only person, full-stop. It's not like who is leading the Party will make a huge difference in 2007 anyway.
And that is at a time when the current administration is showing just how to run a province by the seat of one's pants. "Making it up as we go along" takes on a whole new meaning when watching Tom Rideout and Danny Williams in running about in complete disarray on files like FPI, Hebron and Abitibi. It would be a political opportunity of historic proportions if the past two years hadn't been spent doing nothing.
So, those strategic geniuses who want to oust Jim Bennett should just suck it up and deal with the problem as it is. The alternative is worse.
And besides, who do these anonymous party insiders have in mind for the job?
Sue?
She's busy doing other things.
Bill?
Been there. Done that. Tossed the brown envelope.
The machinators forget one thing: the last time the Liberal Party held an open audition for the role of leader, Jim Bennett was the only person who showed up.
If they punt Jim Bennett, these self-styled insiders might have to hold a seance to find someone to vote Liberal next election, let alone replace Bennett.
Better these long-time party conspirators devoted their energy to putting some cash in the bank - doing something useful for a change - than carrying on the business of back-biting a guy who at least was willing to take on a job no one else wanted.
