The wonder of a government that actually has a vague idea what it's doing

Friday’s column may not be the spiciest thing I’ve ever written. But it’s important, now and then, to give governments credit where it’s due. And for all their troubles early on, McGuinty’s Liberals are faring rather well these days…something reflected, I think, in the rather perfunctory feel to criticism of last week’s budgets from those obligated to criticiz - the CTF, the Sun, and even John Tory.

Actually, Tory’s in a particularly rough spot right now. One has the sense that, as more or less a centrist, he’d have come up with a fairly similar budget if he were in power. But he obviously can’t say that. So he’s stuck trying to define himself in confusing and contradictory ways as he struggles to contrast himself with McGuinty & co. And to make matters worse, he’s pulling a boy scout act where he’s letting the Liberals beat him up without fighting back properly.

There’s a ton of goodwill toward Tory, because he’s a genuinely nice guy who’s always treated people well. But there’s also a mounting sense that if he performs in the next campaign like he’s been performing since winning the leadership, he’s going to get destroyed. Lucky for him, he’s still got plenty of time to grow into the job. But I doubt his party will give him as much time as the Liberals gave McGuinty; I suspect it’s ’07 or bust.