Friday, February 06, 2015

Casting Bones and Reading Entrails

Baird, Unlock the Doors to the Mens' Room and the Janitor's Closet


John Baird has resigned from the Harper cabinet and from his seat in Parliament. It seems no one knew about it much more than 24-hours before the public announcement.

The punditry allowed that it was a natural move, one of Baird's choosing.  He'd done as much as he could in politics.  20-years is a lifetime.  Baird was at the zenith, the perfect place from which to enter the private sector.  Yada, yada, yada.

I can't say why but I'm getting the sense that there's more to Baird's resignation than we know.  I suppose he could have wind that Harper is going to call a snap election and wants to be well out of the way first.  Perhaps Baird knows of something going on in the prime minister's life that he doesn't want to be around for.

I'm pretty sure there's something in play.  I just don't know what it is yet but I'm trying to find out.

6 comments:

Toby said...

I believe that Baird has been thinking about quitting since Flaherty died, as he said. I think the actual decision was sudden. Something pushed him over the edge. That something was probably Harper.

The Mound of Sound said...

Yeah, but how and why?

Scotian said...

MoS:

I agree. Especially when Harper a few months ago asked his caucus to let him know then if they would be staying through the next election or not and was pretty clear that he meant it. Given how clearly loyal Baird has been for Harper, enough that Harper trusted him not only to manage ministries competently but be his deputy within without fear of his being after his leadership position you really have to wonder what happened that he didn't then and yet did now and so suddenly. I also find the timing odd, given Baird has clearly been well engaged in foreign affairs that he would walk out during on of the more active and tricky periods in that file for this government given current international events. I am willing to believe that what we have been told is part of the story, may even be the main reasoning, but as an explanation for the timing, no, there it doesn't work for me either.

I agree with you that something is going on here that we are not seeing yet. What it is, got no idea, but I've had the same vibe from this that you clearly have, that this is not the whole story, the timing is simply too odd, and the fact that it took everyone by surprise in such short notice including Harper, well, as I said, given Bairds history that in itself I think raises a red flag. So I hope you are able to get some idea of why, because this is having that itch in the back of my brain feeling that simply will not go away.

Dana said...

He's being blackmailed by a Palestinian boy.

He's getting married.

He and Laureen are both about to undergo gender re-assignment and run away together.

He discovered nuance and became useless.

This is fun...

I wonder if this sort of thing will earn a visit to a CSIS black hole soon.

the salamander said...

.. great call.. that something happened, or will happen..
The mainstream is applying whitewash.. lipstick and larding the load that is Baird. Interesting that Harper is the last to know.. if that's even so. If Ray Novak knows, does the PM? Is that situational knowledge a la Nigel?

Again, mainstream media curries favor with the Harper PR & PMO groomers. Sure, let's leverage Laureen - the press is onside, aside from Michael Harris.. so whatever you're getting a whiff of must be out of bounds or off planet scandalous.. at least to The Base. Goodness, Baird coming out? Laureen too?

Who knows with these devious devient secret squirrels and their dark evangel manipulations. Well, Canada will get to know cabin boy Ray Novak soon, and that other one, Stephen Lecce too.. maybe there's connections.. Baird knows all about this stuff, all the dirt, the gossip.. and one assumes there's folks that know all about Baird and his semi secret life

Unknown said...

Maybe it has to do with the Duffy trial mound. Baird may know alot of what is going transpire that is not yet visible to the public and the destructive impact it's going to have on Harper and his CONs.