Liberals ape the Olympian follies
Along with being odious, comparisons are usually misleading and sometimes simply mischievous. Nevertheless, the parallels between the spectacle unfolding in Athens and our very own ruling party are too delicious to resist.
Just for starters, try saying either "Olympic" or "Liberal" without adding the suffix "scandal." Sure, it's just a reflex that may better reflect the past than the present or future. But it is undeniably an integral part of two premium brands that often seem to prosper despite themselves.
What's most similar and remarkable about the five-ring circus and what Jean Chretien liked to call the Western world's most successful political party is that neither has been brought down by what in most other organizations would be a fatal flaw.
The Olympics and Liberals alike are almost always behind the public opinion curve and must be dragged, usually kicking and screaming, to the point where truth, common sense and reality intersect.
[For the complete column, see page A19, Toronto Star, August 17, 2004.]
