Thoughts on the cabinet
Politicians sometimes have good reasons to cross the floor. I have some sympathy for Belinda Stronach, for instance, since her positions on social issues never really corresponded with those of the Conservative party.

But there's a difference between defecting three years into your mandate and defecting before you're even sworn into office. The latter is called baiting and switching. The people of Vancouver Kingsway thought they were electing a Liberal. If David Emerson wanted to be a Conservative MP, he should have won the Conservative nomination and run under the Conservative banner.

If I was a member of the Liberal association in Vancouver Kingsway, I would be on the phone right now trying to organize a joint press conference with my counterparts in the Conservative riding association. I would want to ensure that Emerson is rejected by all the political organizers in his riding, the way Joe Peschisolido was. There are some things that even henchminions can't stomach.

And Tony Clement for Health Minister? Two-Tier Tony? I had been hoping we could retire that name for good.

Edit: Oh, look! Here's some contact information for Kanman Wong, the Conservative candidate David Emerson defeated in Vancouver Kingsway. The address and campaign office phone numbers are probably defunct now, but with any luck the e-mail will still work. I do believe Mr. Wong should get an e-mail encouraging him not to toady to the man he was so recently working to unseat. In fact, I do think that the folks at the other end of vanking@telus.net ought to get quite a lot of e-mail.