Greg Weston has a column today explaining why it is that the NDP spends its time attacking Liberals rather than attacking Harper. Given the quotes from the anonymous NDP officials, one can only hope that the venal partisanship of the NDP will be remembered by anti-Harper voters next time at the polls.
"We are firmly focused on a mission to do what is best for Canada and for all Canadians," an NDP strategist says wryly. "That would be to take advantage of the current vulnerability (of the Grits) to achieve the marginalization and, with luck, eradication of the Liberal party."
As a result, the Dipster said, "we are not going to do anything that would give the Liberals a chance to score points, even if that means maybe pulling some punches with the Conservative government."
All of which helps to explain what has become an unlikely loopy love-in of late between the NDP and Conservatives.
For the entire past week, the daily donnybrook in the Commons has been dominated by allegations that in 2005, the Conservatives tried to "bribe" a dying Independent MP, Chuck Cadman, to help vote the former Liberal government out of office.
With both Harper's integrity and Conservative party ethics on the ropes, Layton and the NDP were noticeably absent from the ring.
The Dips even went so far as to join the Conservatives in blocking the Commons ethics committee from investigating the Cadman affair.
An NDP adviser explained: "Damaging Harper and the Conservatives on ethical issues like the Cadman mess mainly helps the Grits, and that's not in our gameplan." <
http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Weston_Greg/2008/03/09/4952331-sun.php>