For some reason I found myself watching the Liberal convention today. Listening to Peter Mansbridge droning on while watching Stephane Dion scratch his nose or Gerard Kennedy stare at nothing with that grin on his face is must-see TV. I'll be buying the DVD when it comes out too.

The third ballot had Dion sprint into first place, leaving Rae in the dust -- and I couldn't be happier. Rae was the Power Corp's candidate and had all the worst elements of the Liberals rally around him (Brison, Volpe, Dryden, Fry). It's good for Canada that he was knocked out. It's probably also good for the Conservatives, because Rae (strangely enough) was the most electable candidate. I don't think Dion has the presence to win a national election.

This is probably the best result for the Liberals too, if they're willing to look at the long term picture. They need to break with their sleazy past and Dion is the best person to do that. They need a little longer out of power.

I'm writing this as if Iggy has already lost, but there's still the fourth ballot to go. But I don't think Ignatieff has any hope. Congrats to Dion, and Kudos to Kennedy for giving Dion his support. I'm not likely to support any policies these two are likely to run on, but I'm glad they gave such an effective boot to the old-school Liberal machine.