Are we going to hit Syria or not? How we're betting...

It looks as if President Hussein Obama is bound and determined to counter his wussy image [not "uppity"? Ed.] by ordering a "limited, surgical" air strike against Syria, even though a good many members of Congress and the majority of the American people are opposed to intervention in that insane civil war. That'll show those Ay-rabs, huh!

Mind you, the Prez hasn't actually pushed the button yet. Perhaps he's waiting to see how many other countries are lining up for sloppy seconds. So far only France and Turkey -- yes, Turkey -- have offered to hold America's coat ["coat-tails", surely. Ed.].

The British Parliament, perhaps mindful of Tony Bliar's "WMD" deception, voted down Prime Minister Cameron's motion to lead the charge. Rather a sticky wicket, wot! And Canada's Steve Harper, normally in favour of anything that Israel is in favour of, has declined even to call the Canuck Parliament back from its summer snooze. That way, you see, he won't have to answer any embarrassing questions about the ongoing scandal involving his two favourite "journalists", Mike Puffy and Pam Wally.

Or perhaps Obama is fearful lest a "boots on the ground" invasion of Syria, which would follow as surely as the next president will be a Republican, turn into another (a) Libya, (b) Afghanistan, (c) Iraq, (d) Vietnam, (e) all of the above. Obie is not a stupid man. He may even realize that the rest of the world doesn't want the USA to be the world's policeman. But of course he can't say that in public.

So will the USA (or anyone else?) actually do anything to/about Syria? Len thinks not. Stay tuned.

Further reading: "15 Signs That Obama Has Already Made The Decision To Go To War With Syria", by Michael Snyder, posted on Activist Post on Sunday, August 25th. It's now Saturday, August 31st, and still nothing has happened except for a lot of bluster from the mouths of Obama, Kerry and, errr, Cameron. That's all ye know and all ye need to know.

Wright was wrong! Wright is gone! But WHY?!

The Canadian Senate shitstorm increases in fury! Only yesterday -- in "Bring me the head of Senator Duffy" -- Walt gloated (yes!) over the resignation of Senator Mike Duffy from the Conservative caucus. While I wrote, Tory Senator Pam Wallin announced that she would join him under the bus.

What, Walt wondered, would it take to get the Puffster or the fragrant Ms Wallin -- or Senator Harb (ex-Liberal) or Senator Brazeau (the third ex-Conservative) -- to resign not just from their party's caucus but from the Senate itself?

Of even greater interest was (and still is) the question of why the Tories went to such great lengths to protect only the dishonourable Senator from Kanata. For what reason would Nigel Wright, Prime Minister Harper's Chief of Staff, pay over $90,000, allegedly out of his own pocket, to cover the expenses for which Puffy improperly billed the Canadian taxpayer? Was it party esprit de corps, or an outpouring of the milk of human kindness?

A further question arose as to the future of the incredibly generous Mr. Wright. A spokesthingy for Mr. Harpoon said the PM had "complete confidence" in his Chief of Staff. Was that the kiss of death?

Perhaps so, as sometime between yesterday's post and today's, Mr. Wright bailed. Admitted he was not Wright but Wrong. Tendered his resignation, which the PM quickly (and "regretfully") accepted.

Walt would love to have a man-to-man talk with Nigel Wright, but he seems to be in seclusion. The Puffster is hiding in his sty in PEI, much to the surprise of neighbours who couldn't recall ever having seen him there before.

If I could, I would like to find out what it is that Duffy knows -- and may yet tell -- about Harper, about Wright, and perhaps about others. For instance... Wright has been described as a long-time friend of Duffy's, hence his eagerness to give his old buddy 90 large. And of course Wright is a close friend of the Prime Minister's too. Does Mr. Wright have any other friends? What about John "Nancy" Baird, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs? Is there some connection there? Just asking...

"Bring me the head of Senator Duffy!"

It's been barely 48 hours since Walt assaulted your olfactory sense with the story of how the Honourable Mike Duffy, the Senator from Kanata [not PEI? Ed.] had his huge ass covered by Nigel Wright, Chief of Staff to Steve "Stephen" Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada. There's more to the story...

Senator Puffy was being audited by Deloitte (at the request of the Senate) over housing expenses he claimed and received for maintaining a residence in Kanata -- a suburb of the world's second-coldest capital -- because his principal residence was supposedly in Prince Edward Island. The amount in question was in excess of C$90,000 ($88,000 in real money.)

Trouble is, Duffy had occupied the house in Kanata for years and years, whereas the sty in PEI went largely unoccupied according to neighbours -- more of a summer cottage, if that. That spelled trouble for the Puffster because the Canadian Constitution requires senators to live in the province they represent. Calls were loud for the "honourable" senator to resign from his position and/or at least pay back the money, and after weeks of stonewalling, Duffy said in February that he would do the latter but not the former.

As reported two days ago, the 90 large was indeed repaid, not by the porcine parliamentarian but by the Chief of Staff in the Prime Minister's Office. Why?! One's first guess would have to be to make the whole stinky affair go away. If that's what he was thinking, Wright was Wrong!

Embarrassing questions were asked the moment CTV broke the story. Why, Canadians wondered, was Senator Puffy given special treatment? (Two other senators -- Liberal Mac Harb and Conservative Patrick Brazeau -- also faced demands to repay ill-gotten housing allowances.) What did Duffy have on the Conservatives that they would spend so much political capital -- not to mention cash -- to protect him? Maybe he has proof of John Baird's sexual preferences? Maybe he has pictures of Harper and the Duck? 

While Canucks were mulling the possibilities, there was a further revelation! The Tories refused to provide details of exactly what improperly-claimed expenses were being repaid. Turns out that, apart from the housing allowance, Duffy had billed the Senate per diem fees for work allegedly done while he was in Florida. Images of a beached whale spring to mind!

Ditto for a number of days during the federal election campaign of 2011 during which Mr. Puffy charged the Senate for attending to his senatorial duties while at the same time stumping for his beloved Conservative Party in constituencies far removed from Ottawa. [Not in PEI, though! Ed.] As the Tories themselves had paid Duffy for those days, it would seem that the "honourable" senator was, errr, double-dipping.

All this caused considerable soiling of shorts in the corridors of power, especially the Langevin Block. [That's where the Prime Minister's Office is. Ed.] Pundits and publicans were unanimous in calling for the heads of both Duffy and Wright. But did either of them resign? Errr, no. Duffy resigned, not from the Senate but from the Conservative caucus. He will now sit in his extra-wide seat as an "independent". Wright has been neither seen nor heard, but a fart-catcher for Steve Harper says the PM still has "complete confidence" in his chief of staff. Stay tuned.

Double-dip footnote: Duffy's was not the only snout deep in the trough. Late last night, another Conservative senator decided to join the Puffster under the bus. [On the "independent" benches, surely! Ed.] Pamela Wallin -- coincidentally another former "non-partisan" broadcaster who formerly worked for CTV -- is also under investigation for improperly claiming "other travel" expenses in the neighbourhood of $321,000.

She and Duffy both say they will rejoin the Tories once these little misunderstandings are "resolved". Wallin's calls to Nigel Wright have not been returned.