Scrutiny has a way of doing that to politicians. But what's intriguing is that the experience is less emotionally searing for the comfortably upholstered finance minister than it is for his bucko-fit colleague at foreign affairs.

Current events couldn't be unfolding more differently or in more revealing ways for the ministers Stephen Harper positioned in his cabinet's two top spots. Flaherty is emerging a fixer, MacKay a problem.

The reason is unusually clear. Faced with big and small embarrassments, Flaherty chose difficult and right while MacKay opted for easy and wrong.

In controversially stopping the income trust juggernaut, the finance minister did much more than break a Conservative campaign promise. By moving now he reverses Paul Martin's mistake of delaying a politically advantageous but economically precipitous decision until campaign drums were beating loudest. Article continues....

Bookmark mackaycartoons.net