Golf balls keep falling on his head

Well it was a wonderful ambush the forces of Chretien launched upon the Gomery Inquriy on Tuesday. The former Prime Minister taking his place, opening with a fascinating defence of his unity moves that lead to the eventual sponsorship scandal, then moving on to showing boredom, indifference and occasional subtle jabs at the proceedings of the day. Oh and don't forget the twist of the knife on the next man to testify, the current Prime Minister, Mr. Chretien suggesting to the assembled crowd that of course Mr. Martin must have known about the program.

The presentation was vintage Chretien, one part folksy politician, balanced by one part of that arrogant leader of days gone by. With a posse of hangers on including trusted aides Eddie Goldenberg, Senator Jim Munson and featuring Darth Vader Kinsella in the wings, the former Prime Minister strode in like a rap star, ready to lay down his unity vibe and dismiss this silly notion that he oversaw some kind of money laundering scam to benefit chosen Liberals in Quebec.

For as he said if anyone benefited improperly from the sponsorship program then they should be prosecuted. Using his well know "love of Canada" as a defence for the program, Chretien played the protect the legacy card with gusto in the day long testimony.

But by far his best lines and the crushing blow to the Justice Gomery was the set up provided by lawyer David Scott, who brought up the topic of golf balls, the same golf balls that Justice Gomery described as "small town cheap" in an unguarded and public moment.

It was a comment that has irked Chretien since it was made back in December, and on Tuesday it was payback time. Chretien bided his time and used selected golf balls from George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Al Gore, small town guys as Chretien described them. But then the final ball was dropped, a golf ball from the Montreal law firm Ogilvy Renault, which ahem, is the home law firm of Inquiry Lead Counsel Bernard Roy and also counts among its members a guy named Brian Mulroney and one Sally Gomery, the esteemed Justice's own daughter! As Mr. Chretien said no doubt with a chuckle in his throat, definitely not a small town cheap item coming from an Old Montreal Westmount law firm!

In golf this may have been a hole in one or at least beating par on every hole,
in tennis it would be Game, Set, Match.

Wonderful theatre for the media who love a good line, a worrisome stage setter for the current Prime Minister and a masterful sleight of hand from the master of teflon.

The set up of Gomery came a few weeks ago when Mr. Chretien's lawyer Mr. Scott called for the Justice to be removed from the hearing due to his outspoken comments. No need to remove him, not only was he silent for most of the testimony he was embarrassed on national television. Part of the set up phase included suggestions that the Justice was spending too much money, not getting to the point and dragging things on too long. No doubt he probably wishes he could have missed out on today's festivities.

We may be no closer to the truth which perhaps was the intention all along, but we were sure entertained while they played the ole shell game today. As a courtesy though, he should have led off his testimony by yelling Fore, before he drove those golf balls right down the middle of the Gomery course!