Congressman vs. Canadian Government

BEFORE THE GLOATING

Liberals Might Want To Look To Canada



While we're not sure how much liberal talk radio gloating has yet begun over Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham's (R-CA) guilty plea on bribery charges and subsequent resignation today, they might want to first look north.

To Canada, that is, where the Liberal Party government has just fallen after losing a punishing, historic no-confidence vote in Ottawa's Parliament.

There, an entire collection of rogue characters often called the Librano$, led by Prime Minister Paul Martin, have finally been held accountable for their sleazy "Sponsorship" funding scandal.

From the CBC:

The opposition parties banded together Monday to defeat the Liberal minority government and set the stage for an election that is expected to culminate in a mid-January vote.

In a 171 to 133 vote, the House passed an historic no-confidence motion exactly one year and five months after Canadian voters elected the Liberals.

Prime Minister Paul Martin will now have to go see Governor General Michaëlle Jean Tuesday morning and ask her to dissolve Parliament.

As the vote was conducted, parliamentarians stood up to applaud MPs who will not be running in the next election.

The Liberal defeat marks the first time a government has fallen on a straight motion of no-confidence in Parliament.

Other minority governments have been forced into elections after losing budget votes or censure motions interpreted as loss of confidence.

At least Congressman Cunningham had the courage to admit to his crimes and resign:

Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy and tax charges and tearfully resigned from office, admitting he took $2.4 million in bribes to steer defense contracts to conspirators.

Cunningham, 63, entered pleas in U.S. District Court to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud and wire fraud, and tax evasion for underreporting his income in 2004.

Cunningham answered "yes, Your Honor" when asked by U.S. District Judge Larry Burns if he had accepted bribes from someone in exchange for his performance of official duties.

Later, at a news conference, he wiped away tears as he announced his resignation.

"I can't undo what I have done but I can atone," he said.

Cunningham, an eight-term Republican congressman, had already announced in July that he would not seek re-election next year.

Faced with similar circumstances, Canada's Liberals did everything they could to cover up their corruption.

Now, they've fallen in an undignified manner, with a dissolved parliament and January elections that could bring the rival Conservative Party to power.

Even after losing the parliamentary vote tonight, Martin is as defiant as ever, avoiding any honest admissions about their disgusting behavior:

A corruption scandal forced a vote of no-confidence Monday and Prime Minister Paul Martin's government was expected to fall, triggering an election campaign during the Christmas holidays.

Canada's three opposition party parties, which control a majority of seats in Parliament, have said they will vote against Martin, claiming his Liberal Party no longer has the moral authority to lead the nation.

A loss for the prime minister would trigger an election for all 308 seats of Parliament that would likely be held Jan. 23. Martin and his Cabinet would continue to govern until the election is held.

Opposition leaders last week called for the no-confidence vote after Martin rejected their demands to dissolve Parliament in January and hold early elections in February. Monday's vote follows a flurry of spending announcements in Ottawa last week, with the government trying to advance its agenda ahead of its likely demise.

Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper said his party would join with the New Democratic and Bloc Quebecois parties to bring down the government prompting the first Christmas campaign in mostly Christian Canada in 26 years.

Expect a buzzing blogosphere tonight:

--- Captain Ed has served as America's Blogospheric Ambassador to Canada, reporting on Liberal Party sleaze all year, becoming a major resource for Canadians looking to bypass their own notoriously leftist media.

--- Brent Colbert is a Tory political activist from Ontario and a great source of information.

--- Small Dead Animals is a major Canadian blog with a focus on breaking political events.

--- CIVITATENSIS is an Alberta-based political site with excellent commentary.

--- The Western Standard magazine is Canada's answer to National Review, a real treasure that should be a regular read.

While I don't expect the Air America Radio crowd to come clean on Canadian sleaze, since they won't even confess to their own corporate hijinks, I can't wait to watch Canada's Conservative Party mount the campaign of a lifetime.


Planning Christmas shopping?

Why not support the Radio Equalizer at the same time? Your Amazon orders that originate with clicks here, regardless of your final selections, help to support this work. Thanks again!

Photo of Prime Minister Paul Martin: CP
Lib$Monopoly: Stephen Taylor