And in a telephone interview yesterday, Mr. Schreiber warned that if he's sent back to Germany, the inquiry won't hear from him.
"Not one f*cking word would I say," Mr. Schreiber said from the Toronto West Detention Centre. "Not one word," he repeated.
"Why would I care about the country any more? ... Why would I care any longer?"
Nice.
So this is the character of the man who is Stephane Dion's new best friend - the man who has rescued Dion from the abyss of weakness, fear and inaction and turned the stoplight on Brian Mulroney, and Schreiber's own selfish interests. (And yet poor Stephane still manages to look ridiculous).
Obviously Schreiber does not care about our country. He is trying to save his own neck, and in the process he is hogging the spotlight to the exclusion of other issues that matter to Canadians.
Chantal Hebert methodically lists the reasons why the Mulroney inquiry won't be a repeat of the Gomery probe, and yet the Liberals salivate at the prospects. Meanwhile, the NDP is hoping for a double salvo.
All this circus is really doing is allowing the Liberal leader some time to regain his composure and try to find his missing backbone.
* * * *
Related: Lorne Gunter - Mulroney's arrogance is costing the Conservatives - Post.
Also, excellent Post article by L. Ian Macdonald, who is a frequent guest on MDL - He's only just begun to fight:
And this part is interesting:
And that may end up being one of the few reasons to pursue the inquiry.
Also, excellent Post article by L. Ian Macdonald, who is a frequent guest on MDL - He's only just begun to fight:
...It's a classic case of he said, he said...
And this part is interesting:
...Journalists have no claim of privilege before a royal commission. They cannot hide behind their anonymous sources. Moreover, since the passage of the Accountability Act, the CBC is subject to Access to Information demands. This means Canadians may finally discover how much the CBC has spent on this story over the last 12 years...
And that may end up being one of the few reasons to pursue the inquiry.
* * * *
Update: Thanks to reader Ruth for finding this one! Bigger fish to fry by Licia Corbella:
If Brian Mulroney were a Liberal, would there be a public inquiry into his private business dealings?
* * * *
Evening update: L. Ian Macdonald on MDL - Schreiber is using blackmail; who is running the country? I'll try to put up a link or exact quote later.
MDL link available here (at right). Mr Macdonald's exact quote was "I thought it was black mail, Mike and I wondered who's running this country...?"
I must agree.
MDL link available here (at right). Mr Macdonald's exact quote was "I thought it was black mail, Mike and I wondered who's running this country...?"
I must agree.
* * * *
Saturday Update - Tony's Viewpoint: Why Karlheinz Schreiber should be extradited back to Germany.
Globe - Tories say they may allow Schreiber's extradition.
Post editorial - Kick Schreiber out:
Globe - Tories say they may allow Schreiber's extradition.
Post editorial - Kick Schreiber out:
To which we say: Don't let the cell door hit your backside on the way out. Let's kick him out. Now.
51 comments:
I think it is having the opposite effect for the LPC.
They look quite desperate over this issue in my opinion. They'll never tie Harper to this anyway, so why are they wasting time and money on it?
I have a feeling that if anyone ends up with egg on his face, it will be Dion.
I'm starting to think that too, Caveat. It is a desperate attempt to fling some mud, but they could end up wearing it for sure.
We're usurping the rights of the potential for the German people to extract justice from Schreiber for his alleged wrongdoings there by allowing him to stay here.
If he is allowed to stay through a prolonged inquiry, then I believe at minimum his bail should be revoked and he should wait his time out in Kingston - not club fed.
His whole motivation is to avoid living out his last days in a German prison, so lets give him the option of living out his last days in a Canadian Maximum Security prison while he awaits extradition.
I figure it will take about 45 minutes before he comes clean on who's really behind all his accusations.
Dion has more new best friends than just Schreiber!Don't forget the other wonderfull people that Dion has added to his facebook like ronald smith,omar khadr,& all the captured taliban al quaida guys whose only mistake were taking potshots at Canuck soldiers.
I don't think this is going to have much of an effect on the Conservative Party. There was a poll done about how Canadians perceive this whole effect and a whole 12% thought that this Schreiber-Mulroney affair is connected to the present government.
That's hardly a number the Liberals or NDP must be happy about. That means that not even everybody in their own party support buys that.
All in all, if Schreiber is extradited, this is going to be a slugfest against all Liberal establishments in this country... from the Opposition who was quick on the trigger for this, to the CBC who are going to be dragged into the open and stripped naked before the public.
I'd say the possibility of this going in the Liberals favor is about 10:1 against.
Ian MacDonald! I always wondered why Ian MacDonald was so anti-Dion. I didn't realize he was Mulroney's chief speechwriter. It is nice to see these Mulroneyites scrum. Hopefully, we will not treat these self-interested people as serious commentators on the Mulroney-Schrieber scandal. Who knows they may be witnesses before the inquiry.
There is also a good column in the Calgary Sun today by Licia Corbella about this mess.
Thanks, Ruth. I just added the link.
Good. A full inquiry is what we need - certainly not a Gomery circus. After this inquiry we should get a full inquiry into where the $40 million dollars went that the Liberals stole. And the names of which Liberals stole it.
I realize it serves your purpose to exaggerate and distort the truth, but I wonder if you have any photos of liberals "salivating" over this inquiry. Nor is it even remotely correct to describe Schreiber as Dion's new best friend. (I have noticed you avoided any mention of the fact that Peter McKay's father and Schreiber were close - close enough for McKay senior to post his bail and for Schreiber to give McKay junior a job).
I wonder if you ever noticed the media have been calling for an inquiry into this for the past few weeks - this was not driven by the liberals. In fact I am sure you are aware the inquiry was driven by Mr. Mulroney himself.
The reason the media and the opposition are able to make an issue over this is because Harper and company have long claimed to be holier than thou when it comes to ethical behaviour - and yet to 51% of Canadians it now appears Harper is covering up for Mulroney. Harper has looked uncharacteristically indecisive, and the opposition smelled blood. That is nothing more than what Harper would have done had the tables been turned (as we know from history - or did you forget that whole witch-hunt againts Goodale).
I never believed the inquiry would find anything against Harper - and I doubt the liberals did either. In fact I recall the liberals saying they do not accept Schreiber's attempts to implicate Harper.
This is all political games - and this is a game Harper perfected long ago.
After this inquiry we should get a full inquiry into where the $40 million dollars went that the Liberals stole. And the names of which Liberals stole it.
Exactly. I was watching MDL yesterday and Martha H-F was on. She didn't seem terribly interested in this inquiry. She seemed to be suggesting that the country had more important matters to attend to. I was pleasantly surprised to see her 'off-message'.
Actually, I am really gaining respect for her as a politician. I think she'll be a solid contender in the next Liberal leadership race. She's really coming into her own.
Gayle, I think all you need to do is watch this man in action in QP to see some salivating going on.
However, if you don't like my choice of words, that's certainly an issue over which I have no control.
Joanne - did you notice that after Martha HF said that the other parties attacked her for it? They suggested she only wanted to move on because she was trying to cover up a liberal scandal associated with Schreiber. I have noticed some BT's are now on the hunt for connections between Schreiber and the liberals (of which there are many admitted by the liberals).
My point is that any attempt by the liberals to move away from this issue may now be attacked by the conservatives. So while you and people like DBT complain about this so-called witch hunt, remember that it is the conservatives who are now forcing the witch-hunt to continue.
Which is sad all the way around really, because there are real issues out there that need to be addressed.
Wow, Gayle. You spun that so well, I think you should apply for a job with the LPC!
Chantal Hebert is a closet separatist who salivates at the thought of a Harper majority government paving the way for Quebec sovereignty. Seeing as the Conservatives have already recognized the Quebecois as a nation, it isn't surprising that nationalists like Hebert are lining up to shill.
L.O. - Interesting theory, but I don't buy it.
She hardly seems like a CPC shill here.
BTW, L.O. - The first part of your comment is absolutely preposterous.
(IMHO) ;)
BTW, L.O. - The first part of your comment is absolutely preposterous.
Yes, the three dots are preposterous.
The rest nails it!
Harper did say words to this effect: "You won't recognize Canada when I'm done with it".
Indeed, Governor Harper.
Harper did say words to this effect: "You won't recognize Canada when I'm done with it".
L.S.
You won't recognize your car when I'm done with it
said the bodyshop guy...
Are words like "improving" ,"modernizing" and "uniting" part of your vocabulary L.S?
Or are you stuck on "Status Quo", "top heavy", "centralized", "costly", "inefficient", "corrupt"?
Indeed, Governor Harper.
Typical Bush bashing syndrome from your friendly Lemming L.S
Joanne - does this mean you did not see the NDP and Conservatives jump on Martha HF when she suggested it is time to change direction?
Perhaps I was seeing/hearing things...
"I wonder if you ever noticed the media have been calling for an inquiry into this for the past few weeks - this was not driven by the liberals."
Why should the MEDIA be calling for an inquiry? Have they been elected to govern?
Have lobbyists been elected to govern?
Isn't it the media's role to:
1. report what has happened, on the basis of at least two verifiable sources
and
2. analyse and comment on what has happened
Since when is it the media's role to determine what course of action governments should take?
Typical Bush bashing syndrome from your friendly Lemming L.S
Typical fact free bashing, complete with faux indignation from a troll. No mention of Bush was made. He would not be negotiating the anschluss anyway, but Harper would.
Why should the MEDIA be calling for an inquiry?
Good catch, Gabby.
Gayle, I don't quite get your point.
My point (which you called spin) is that when the liberals say there are more important things than the inquiry and Mulroney, they are accused of trying to hide their own alleged wrongdoing. I was just wondering if you saw that on MDL yesterday too.
Gabby - the media, like the opposition, can say whatever they want. The media said there should be an inquiry - just like the opposition, and Mulroney.
The decision whether or not to call an inquiry was up to the PM.
Hope that clears things up for you.
Isn't it the media's role to:
1. report what has happened, on the basis of at least two verifiable sources
and
2. analyse and comment on what has happened
No, its role is to provide content that will make people read it and be exposed to the ads. More exposures means a higher ad rate.
Since when is it the media's role to determine what course of action governments should take?
Governments may think of media as some sort of voice of the public.
The media will put things out and if the government goes along, that media outlet looks like it has the ear of the government, which of course makes for compelling content that makes people read it and be exposed to the ads which then fetch a higher ad rate.
As they say in the media itself, follow the money!
"I wonder if you ever noticed the media have been calling for an inquiry into this for the past few weeks - this was not driven by the liberals."
That was said @ Fri Nov 16, 11:13:00 AM EST
"The media said there should be an inquiry - just like the opposition, and Mulroney."
This was said @ Fri Nov 16, 03:44:00 PM EST
Are the Liberals not part of "the opposition"?
Just to be completely clear: did the Liberals call for an inquiry?
Did they do so at the media's urging, as you suggested at 11:13?
Or did they do so at the same time as the media did, as you said at 3:44?
My point (which you called spin) is that when the liberals say there are more important things than the inquiry and Mulroney, they are accused of trying to hide their own alleged wrongdoing. I was just wondering if you saw that on MDL yesterday too.
O.K. I see what you're getting at now. Well, to answer your question, I didn't pick up on that; possibly could have been interrupted at that point. My statement about MHF was simply intended as an observation of how well she is growing in a political sense; that she is handling herself well; has her own ideas.
On the other hand, it was the Liberals that willingly jumped on board this bandwagon, so if a wheel happens to come off again, just like it did when Martin drove the wagon just before the last election, I would have to say that it is poetic justice.
"As they say in the media itself, follow the money!"
But ... but ....
Do you mean to tell me that the media's motive is NOT the public good?
What about the "public's right to know"?
What about "freedom of expression"?
You know, all those good things the left says it stands for ... ;-)
gabby - clearly the liberals participated in asking for this inquiry. If you are suggesting (as many BT's appear to be) that the only reason the inquiry was called was because of the liberals, then you would be incorrect.
As I stated, this was not driven by the liberals, it was driven by many forces, of which the liberals are but one part.
Joanne - I am not concerned about any liberal skeletons emerging as a result of this inquiry. Can you see what a cycle this becomes? Personally, while I do not see how this can affect Harper personally, I do not feel sorry for the fact the opposition is treating him in the same way he would treat them. If you want to talk about poetic justice, start there.
Here is my two cents.
Gayle is correct, they did criticse MHF on Duffy for trying to change the topic. But the reasoning was Dion, Goodale, Holland, Thibault, Kennedy, etc., have been in the media daily demanding an inquiry, trying to link Harper to it as well as making unsubstantiated accusations against Mulroney (who I personally dislike). In the case of Thibault, who is now being sued, he said it was okay to say what he said because the media also said it.
Watch for all Liberals to try and change the channel now. It is now being reported that the $2.1 million dollar agreement included a clause blaming the RCMP and saying there was no politiacal interference by the Liberal government. Mulroney now says that if the Liberals are demanding the money be paid back, the deal is void and political interference should be included in the questioning at the inquiry.
And now we are hearing that Schreiber made donations to the Liberals, including one of $10,000 dollars. And as well as Elmer Mackay posting bond for Schreiber, Liberal MP Marc Lalonde also posted bond.
I for one am looking forward to this inquiry. I think Harper is pretty safe from being in harms way, but the Liberals might find themselves in the line of fire. If I remember correctly a number of times the RCMP were ready to call off the investigation because they found no wrong doing. Surely Chretien and the Liberal party would not use their power to apply pressure to the RCMP or interfere in an investigation regarding aprivate individual.
Then again, I guess the former head of the BDC already knows the answer to that.
And as a quick footnote, has anyone picked up on the fact both Layton and Harper are linking the Liberals to the problems in the investigation. Looks like Dion and the Liberals, who were getting pretty cocky, might be left with egg on their face again.
And I agree Joanne, the fact Schreiber now says he won't testify if extradited pretty much says it all about what this is about. If he does testify I can't wait to count the number of times he has committed perjury on previously sworn documents.
Paul, excellent analysis.
Yes, I'm not concerned about this hurting Harper either. In fact, the whole thing has great potential politically. However, it will cost a lot of money, time and energy that could have been devoted to other important issues. That's life, I guess.
paul - I am not concerned about what the inquiry turns up about the liberals. They have been quite open about the fact they received donations from Schreiber, and that he is not the most trustworthy witness in the world.
However, given the position taken by the other two parties, I assume the conservatives will stop complaining about a witch hunt now.
"If you are suggesting (as many BT's appear to be) that the only reason the inquiry was called was because of the liberals ..."
I was suggesting nothing.
I just wanted to make sure I understood what you were saying and that you yourself understood it as well. Now we're both clear ... or are we?
Music, maestro …
“First you say you do
And then you don’t
Then you say you will
And then you won't …”
My biggest concern Gayle is that the inquiry might be about nothing, other than someone exploiting the system to keep his ass out of a German jail. If that proves to be the case then some select lawyers will get millions of our tax dollars and everything "will be the same as it ever was".( hey, isn't that from a rock song?)
Are some blogging tories suggesting that they would vote for Dion if he only saw things their way? (real conservative)
paul - I share you concern. In fact, I think the scenario you paint is probably the most likely outcome.
Are some blogging tories suggesting that they would vote for Dion if he only saw things their way?
Not this Blogging Tory!!!
Ohhh!
Can I pretty please get a link to when, where, who said the Liberals were quite open about the fact they received donations from Schreiber?
It seems I missed that report.
The only one I saw/heard making that statement was NDPer Pat Martin.
I do want to keep that admission, hopefully real and not imaginary, in my computer's memory ... heck, I may even print it up and hang it prominently in a place of honour!
"Can I pretty please get a link to when, where, who said the Liberals were quite open about the fact they received donations from Schreiber?
It seems I missed that report.
The only one I saw/heard making that statement was NDPer Pat Martin."
I believe someone said it on Duffy last night - or the night before.
I mean, they can hardly deny it since it is a matter of public record. It would be like claiming the grass is orange.
Hi Joanne
Media are again trying to imply the lily white lie-berals were unaware of the RCMP investigation of The Right Honarable Brian Mulroney.
Tell me another one!!!!!!!!!!
Even ???? if that could possibly be true ????
The Lberal (Chretien) Government was responsible for the public leak that occured 100% responsible.
Florencekbuwcw
My statement about MHF was simply intended as an observation of how well she is growing in a political sense; that she is handling herself well; has her own ideas.
MHF may be the missing link the Libs need. She's the potential leader without the baggage that any Chretien or Martin-ite has, without the Iggy arrogance or the Rae NDP past. I was impressed with her during the leadership campaign.
When you look at the list of PC's and Liberals who got money or were associated with KHS, doesn't it make you feel a little depressed?
The funny thing is, a lot of lefties think conservatives are upset about BM being back under the microscope.
Hmmm....the guy that destroyed conservatism for a decade....I think not.
When you look at the list of PC's and Liberals who got money or were associated with KHS, doesn't it make you feel a little depressed?
Disillusioned, perhaps. I'm just reading the latest issue of Macleans, and Coyne's first column as National editor.
He says, "It is perplexing how someone of Schriebier's obvious odour managed to gain such access to the corridors of power."
Which is pretty much what you said, Möbius.
Mobius: "The funny thing is, a lot of lefties think conservatives are upset about BM being back under the microscope.
Hmmm....the guy that destroyed conservatism for a decade....I think not."
Well said! As someone who sat out the 93 election because I couldn't buy into the local Reform candidate but saw no viable alternative in the seriously discredited PCs, I have absolutely NO ISSUE with Mulroney's tenure being examined.
The Liberals keep seeming to forget that Harper (a) quit politics in disgust at Mulroney et al and (b) was a major Reform(er). How can this possibly blow back at him? His "cosying up" to Mulroney was (a) to get advice on Quebec and (b) to shut up the Red Tories, who now have duct tape across their mouths (and it's about bloody time IMHO).
Well said, Candace!
I'm certainly no Brian Mulroney fan either.
This has huge potential to damage not only the LPC and what is left of the Red Tory movement but what little faith is left in politicians in Canada.
The only political parties that stand to gain from this is the NDP and the Bloq.
I remind all the former PMBM is a true political fighter such as was PMJC and he will not go down without taking a lot people with him.
I caution the LPC to step back as the CPC is doing and let the NDP lead the charge on this before they get splattered when the feces hits the fan.
The CPC is pretty much bullet proof on this one unless there is a smoking gun concerning PMSH or some senior Cab Minister refusing to be briefed or lying about the "letter"
Hi Joanne
Does any sane Canadian think $300,000.00 dollars constitutes a BRIBE
GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!!
Florence
You might note that not all Liberals are in agreement on this or "salivating" at the prospect of an inquiry. I happen to think it's a misbegotten, wrong-headed, probably futile waste of time and money.
I happen to think it's a misbegotten, wrong-headed, probably futile waste of time and money.
I once thought it was a necessary evil, but now I'm not so sure. Can any word out of KHS's mouth be trusted?
The cost of rooting out corruption doesn't bother me. Some Libs complained that Gomery cost more than the missing money, but that's not the point. It's about justice, and making sure it doesn't happen again.
You might note that not all Liberals are in agreement on this or "salivating" at the prospect of an inquiry. I happen to think it's a misbegotten, wrong-headed, probably futile waste of time and money.
Does this mean that you're actually a 'Liberal' Red? I always thought you tried to avoid a partisan label.
Does this mean that you're actually a 'Liberal' Red? I always thought you tried to avoid a partisan label.
He knows I am not salivating, and I think that the situation is turning into another posturing-op. So though I don't speak for the Liberals, my opinion may sometimes be representative.
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