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19 October 2008

I guess they drew straws...

...and McCallum lost...
Ontario Liberal MP John McCallum has been tapped to take over the reins of his party as interim leader if Stephane Dion steps down as expected on Monday, CTV News has learned.

"People in the Liberal Party are still telling us Dion intends to quit Monday afternoon," CTV's chief political correspondent Craig Oliver said Saturday. Oliver said that McCallum was chosen because he is bilingual, an authority on finance and well-regarded by the Liberal caucus.

"He's thought of as a consensual interim leader, he's not going to be flying off on his own making decisions that they can't support," Oliver said.
Hmmm... John McCallum... flying... why does that sound so familiar?

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UPDATE: Not over 'til the stout party hack sings...
-- OTTAWA -- Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale is pushing hard behind the scenes to line up caucus support to become interim leader if Stephane Dion steps down Monday, party insiders say.

Sources say the unilingual Goodale appears to have substantial caucus backing but his team understands it needs a francophone MP as a deputy leader.
And don't miss Canadian Press stirring the pot even further.

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