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Michael Ignatieff’s Resignation

Failure at anything is painful. But nothing can be as painful as a public failure like national Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff suffered. “Regrets? I’ve had a few,” sang somebody – was it Paul Anka in "My Way"? Well, who hasn’t? We’ve all blown something at some time. We’ve all failed. But not as spectacularly as Michael Ignatieff.

By Tony Wanless /

Michael Ignatieff resignation
After losing 43 seats in the Liberals’ worst showing in history, party leader Michael Ignatieff resigned.

Failure at anything is painful. But nothing can be as painful as a public failure like national Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff suffered.

“Regrets? I’ve had a few,” sang somebody – was it Paul Anka in “My Way”?

Well, who hasn’t? We’ve all blown something at some time. We’ve all failed. But not as spectacularly as Michael Ignatieff.

I mean, think about it. This is a guy who was the cream of the crop – Harvard professor, hob-nobber with the world’s elite thinkers, author, scion of a Russian nobility family. Pretty good CV, I’d say. Until he became leader of the Liberal Party, of course.

After all, this is Canada, where we eat our politicians while they’re still young. I’m not sure why, maybe it’s the Canadian thing about bringing everybody down to our level.

But the result was that this world-class thinker, writer, and teacher was humbled and humiliated in this week’s federal election to the point where he was blamed for almost destroying the Liberal Party, which had ruled Canada for most of its life.

And then the next day he had to eat crow. After railing against the Conservatives for weeks, he had to watch them – and the NDP on the left – stomp him and his party into dust.

Maybe it was his continuing contention that the Conservatives should be brought down because they had “contempt for parliament.” That wasn’t going to ring loud with a population that routinely voices its contempt for parliament and all those who sit in it.

Maybe it was because his craggy features made him look like he was always scowling – as compared to Smilin’ Jack.

Whatever, these trivialities hurled at him brought him down. The big brain, the experience, the international outlook meant nothing.

He had to resign as leader. Eloquently, mind you, but resignation as a failure all the same.

Could you or I have done it? I doubt it.

Sure we’ve all failed. But never a flame out like that one.