"Give Joe a chance"

Linda Diebel at the Toronto Star has been writing profiles of all the Liberal leadership candidates. Of note was her glowing profile on Dion two weeks ago. Some would say 'too glowing' (but we certainly wouldn't!). Well today she proves today that she can write a profile that simultaneously lifts up and buries the profilee. Like say, Joe Volpe. Poor old Joe needs a break from the rabid anti-Italian conspiracy. He claims that the WASP crowd wants to keep him out and have resisted him his whole life. Others suggest that it's not because he's Italian, but because he's just an asshole.

A few choice nuggets:

"It's terribly, terribly unfair. It's absolutely outrageous the way Joe has been pilloried," says Barry Sherman, Apotex CEO and father of four children, one under 18, who contributed money to the Volpe campaign. Sherman describes himself as a wealthy man who wants to help Volpe and says pointedly the money was refunded. "Look," he says, "people like to sling mud. But if anyone did anything improper, it wasn't Joe Volpe. He's a principled person and he had no idea ... he's not in the pocket of the (brand-name pharmaceutical) industry like other politicians."

Nope, brand-name pharma doesn't own Joe! No, he's just in the pocket of the generic pharmaceutical industry! Ahem, I mean, in the pocket of the generic pharmaceutical industry CEO's children.

"Give Joe a chance," says lifelong buddy, Renzo Tanel. "He would make a great prime minister. He cares about people and he has a good idea where Canada should go."

Shudder at the thought.