The Orators and the Patsy

I was upset today - I admit it. The Conservatives have taken to denigrating Michael Ignatieff in their statements just prior to Question Period, much like they used to do with Stephane Dion.  It's meant to throw Ignatieff off when he gets up to ask his first question in QP. It's a political tactic but a crude one. It's almost like everyone has forgotten that Canadians are going through devastating times and that all that really matters is the theatre going on in the Commons.Today's developments almost bordered on irreverence. Prior to Ignatieff giving his statement, another Conservative clone rose in the House to speak of his unsuitability for leadership. Then, to everyone's surprise, the Liberal leader got up and delivered a deeply reflective statement on the death of the three Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan yesterday. The House grew silent, not just because of the subject because of Ignatieff's beautiful phrasing and heartfelt delivery. He reminded all of us that it was we who sent these soldiers to war. He spoke of the deep despondency and the burden faced by the soldiers' families and that such a load should never be faced by them alone, but also by those very politicians who sent the soldiers into harm's way. Put simply, it was a beautiful tribute and received the standing ovation it deserved.Not sooner had Ignatieff sat down than another Conservative stood up for the last statement before QP and unleashed his torrent at the Liberal leader. To people of finer senses it was jarring. I know that Conservative. He's a decent man and wants to help others. But he was told to get up and read a speech written by someone else. The entire House just wanted him to sit down and be quiet. His intervention was highly unsuitable and out of place. During one of our finer moments in the House, a man permitted himself to become a patsy for the party and demeaned a meaningful moment and the soldiers' memory in the process.Following Question Period, Bob Rae rose a gave tribute to the recently deceased former Speaker of the House, Gilbert Parent. I watched as the Conservatives studied Rae's face and digested his words and I realized that they had no one on their side of the aisle that could come close to either Ignatieff or Rae in delivery and style. All of us came to terms with the reality that these two men possessed unique gifts of oratory.And for my friend, the Conservative who permitted his party to defeat his own sense decorum, he's just one of many in that place that can't discern a sacred moment from a profane one. I will remember those speeches for some time to come and how they not only elevated the House but the memory of those faithful soldiers and a former Speaker as well. And I will recall how quickly one frivolous and partisan remark almost snuffed out a sense of enlightenment for the sake of the irreverent.