16 November 2006

Dalton tries on OJ defense

Climbing down from yet another campaign promise, Dalton McGuinty is taking a page from the Johnny Cochrane, "absolutely, 100 percent, not guilty" playbook.
TORONTO — Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty is blaming unidentified advisers for his government's inability to keep its promises to close the province's coal-burning power plants.

Mr. McGuinty conceded yesterday that the smokestacks from the coal plants likely will not disappear until 2014 -- seven years later than he promised during the last election campaign.
Apparently, if the voters of Ontario will just vote in another Liberal government, Dalton pledges to go out and find the real liars.
Progressive Conservative MPP John Yakabuski demanded that Mr. McGuinty disclose the names of the experts he relied on in making the promise. If not, he said, "admit that your policy was just plain and simple made up, that you perpetrated on the people of the province of Ontario to get their vote a big fat lie."
Maybe Dalton will tell us the truth someday on a TV special.

UPDATE: 17 Nov 2006 - Dalton's latest "mea culpa"
"It's not a case of me trying to foist responsibility elsewhere," he told reporters yesterday. "I made the call, just as I made the more recent calls to delay the closure."

This was in stark contrast to a day earlier, when Mr. McGuinty pointed the finger of blame at unidentified advisers by saying, "Be careful about the advice you get from experts."

Technorati Tags: , ,