They just can't help themselves...

Two very telling articles in the Star over the weekend.

The first, published on Saturday, was an excellent piece by Susan Delacourt on the Liberals’ triumphalism after last week’s near-death experience. Delacourt has often been criticized for her closeness to the Martinites, but in this case it served her well. Not only did she witness the grotesque spectacle of Tim Murphy dancing to Material Girl atop a speaker with Belinda Stronach (other journalists were apparently there as well), but she knew the players well enough to know exactly what it meant – that the Liberals had yet again failed to learn any lessons about humility.

The second, published the following day, was Graham Fraser’s piece on Tim Murphy. The article itself was weirdly effusive – I have some serious doubts that Murphy is the guy who really saved the government, I’m thoroughly unconvinced he’s driven by his “earnest idealism,” and I don’t think the Grewal incident can be written off on the basis that “nobody who has been surreptitiously taped emerges from the experience looking good.” But what’s more telling is that Murphy was willing to go on the record to talk about himself.

This is not what chiefs of staff are generally supposed to do, mostly because there’s no advantage to the leader in having his (or her) staffers getting press. That’s why, for all his flaws, Jean Pelletier was rarely seen in public, and why, in Ontario, Don Guy is this mysterious force who runs McGuinty’s office with 99.9% of the province having no idea who he is. Even Tom Flanagan seems to know that it’s Harper who’s the star, not him.

But in the grand tradition of other senior Martinites – David Herle, come on down – Murphy seems to crave a certain celebrity attached to his position. Maybe he wants to run for federal office, maybe he just wants credit for his work, or maybe it’s subconscious. Who knows. But it’s a selfish thing to do. And it proves Delacourt’s point – these guys still haven’t learned a thing about humility.