Selecting Canada's next PM

I'm watching the Liberal convention online...

I have not taken the side of a single candidate during the race, although I have been most impressed by, and lean toward, both Stephane Dion and Gerard Kennedy. Dion's "three-pillar" approach emphasizing the environment and his experience are impressive; Kennedy's freshness, drive and enthusiasm, and his commitment to values, recommend him.

I have not seen any of the candidates give a speech before. I found Dion not particularly interesting, but his English was fine, something that has been mentioned as a weakness. He took too long and got sent off stage by the music. Kennedy's French has been, conversely, mentioned as his weakness. Not speaking French, I cannot evaluate, though he sounded all right to me. What I can say is that Kennedy really, really impressed me. His speech was risky--it placed blame on the party for its defeat and called on the party to find its values--but I found it both authentic and passionate, as well as true.

Of course, Ignatieff and Rae are still the front-runners, but anything can happen--it's a convention, after all.

More to come.


7:42 CT Rae gave a speech without notes about the Canada he wants. It was okay and the broadcasters liked it but it was not as energetic as Kennedy's and, of course, had fewer specifics and a few platitudes. Ignatieff's up and his pre-speech video is currently running. I've been trying to figure out what irritates me about Ignatieff, and I think it's just his conceitedness, which seems to permeate the campaign, and everything it produces as well... a little bit too slick and media-driven.

7:44 CT Ignatieff's brother Andrew (the original "Iggy"), in the video, noted that "it's not arrogance, it's normal human shyness." That's the word I was looking for--arrogance.

8:03 CT Ignatieff: "We are the party that will take us there." Right...I suppose he was talking about all of Canada, not the Liberals. :) A good speech, especially towards the end. Emphasis on Canada's place in the world, Canada will have the best, can have the best, so on. I'm surprised the cameras weren't on Volpe the whole time--they've been spying on him nonstop waiting for him to make the move over to Rae. Now they're trying to rope Brison into admitting that he's going to Ignatieff but he won't bite (even when they ask the same question five times, imagine that!).

I still don't like Ignatieff. His smug smile alone annoys me...

There we go, the announcer mentioned Volpe again. Commentators don't like Ignatieff as much as Rae or Kennedy. I still say Kennedy was the best.