A Woman Scorned

Is that lifeless body Martin's campaign? - Sheila Copps

The backdrop for the prime minister's health announcement last week said it all. An apparently lifeless patient on a gurney was laid out for a few stethoscope-clad doctors in white coats. The symbolism of that photo-op was not lost on anyone.

The body Paul Martin was viewing (actually a med student posing for the cameras) had nothing to do with health care. It was a symbol of everything that has gone wrong with his campaign. No political organizer worth their salt would put the PM in such a position. Headgear, lifeless bodies and eating in front of cameras should be no-fly zones for politicians. (The Bloc's Gilles Duceppe is still remembered for appearing in a hairnet while touring a cheese factory.)

But more important than the bad photo-op was the impression that Martin was nervously surveying his own demise. Here he was with one of the most important announcements of his post-Christmas relaunch and what we see is a body. What we hear is more talk about the RCMP investigating his government. More @ Toronto Sun