Steve, the Accountability Guy

That was Stand Up Comedy for Canada from Mr. Accountability Guy, Stephen Harper, in 2006.

Yesterday Steve never mentioned the under-the-table Perrin/Wright/Duffy hush money cheque, nor the cheque issuer or recipient in his speech about it to his caucus.  But just a little over 100 words into his 1000 word speech, Steve did spare a moment to mention Adscam and his pissy mood about what he did not mention, before blowing off the whole unmentionable thing as a "distraction" and winding up with "Let's get back to work".

Today, however, from the distance of some 6000 kms away in Peru, Steve, the most micro-managing PM in Canadian history, explained he knew nothing at all about any of this till he heard about it in the media. 

So how's that one flying for him? CBC poll , Wednesday 7pm:

Bonus Steve from 2005 :
 [h/t North Van's Grumps in comments]

"There's going to be a new code on Parliament Hill: bend the rules, you will be punished; break the law, you will be charged; abuse the public trust, you will go to prison," warned Harper.

Yeah, sure thing.


Update : From Stephen Lautens' Parking Space : Ethical Amnesia

“At worst, he personally ordered it done and chose the people who executed the plan. At the very least, he fostered an attitude within the party [...], chose the managers of the people who committed these crimes and completely and utterly failed to exercise any oversight, supervision or leadership. In the end, it doesn’t really matter where [his] actions or lack of them fall on that scale. He is the leader and a leader is responsible for the actions of the people he leads. If he had a right or honourable bone in his body, he’d admit that and resign immediately.”

Stephen Harper during the Gomery investigation

Thursday noon update : The link above to Stephen Lautens and the Harper/Gomery quote now redirects to a correction from Lautens stating he can't cite an original source for the above quote.  Appears to have been originally written by Kev who did not attribute it to Harper.

Thursday AM update : Dear Mr Mulcair : Stop giving Steve an assist by helping him frame this as being just about the need to reform/abolish the Senate.  Bigger fish here, Tom.  Knock it off.
Thursday noon : More on that from Pogge.
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Thursday 3PM update : Excerpts from Aaron Wherry's very interesting interview with Senator David Tkachuk, chair of the three person Senate steering committee, on whitewashing the audit on Duffy's expenses. 
Tkachuk also "didn't know about the cheque until I found out about it in the media."

A: I mean, you’ve got to remember I would have been having a number of discussions with Nigel, I had a few of them. He didn’t tell me to do anything, really. We discussed Mike and the situation that he was in. I mean, the Prime Minister’s Office was very concerned about this. They don’t like this scandal going on. It was hurting us politically. ... I got advice from all kinds of people. I’m not going to tell you who they are, but let’s put it this way: I talked to people in the PMO ...

Q: But did Nigel Wright ever suggest to you how the report should be written? 

A: Nigel Wright did not. 

Q: Did anyone in the Prime Minister’s Office ever suggest to you how the report should be written? 

A: Not really. 

Q: What does that mean? 

A: Because when I ask for advice, people will give advice. I did ask for advice, I’m not denying that. But all I’m saying is, no one gave me any orders, no one came to my room and told me what to do.

And there goes Steve's story that this was some obscure private deal between just Nigel Wright and Duffy that no one else knew anything about.
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