Oh

Those of you who live in Canada right now might see this in the papers soon. However the media decides to narrate it, I think this should be regarded as a case of major political wrongdoing (if the allegations are true---mind you, the Prime Minister offers the lamest non-denial denial I've ever seen). As I see it, the current Prime Minister sanctioned the offer of a bribe, possibly as large as a million dollars, in an attempt to trigger the election that would eventually lead him to power.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080227.wcadmann0227/BNStory/National/home?cid=al_gam_mostview

But words obscure the truth in such beautiful ways and bald corruption is made mere politics. Consider, though, the best-case scenario: the Prime Minister is on record (in contradiction with his office's later statement) as saying that he knew beforehand that the offer was going to take place, but that "it was only to replace financial considerations [Cadman] might lose due to an election." So he knew what was being offered was in some way monetarily fungible, and that it was to influence the MP's vote, a vote of great significance and in which the Prime Minister had the greatest personal stake. Ok. A bribe. A crime.

1) The Prime Minister says he discouraged the operatives. It is surprising that in a situation of great personal significance to him, a Prime Minister widely believed to keep an extremely tight rein on his political operations would discourage but "allow" such an act.

2) Even if we cede 1) to the Prime Minister, he still knew his political operatives were going to offer a bribe to an MP.

Caught by a reporter in the driveway after a meeting in which it was made clear to him that this would be going public, he spoke in a way that made a bribe seem kind of like a not-bribe if one squinted. I can explain this in two ways: he was painting a rosy picture, seen as his best option in calculation of the inevitable publicity; he really doesn't see it that way and is ethically retarded.

Also he's building superprisons for a drug war and having a grand old time eliminating important social programs but people don't seem to care so much about that.