You've got to be joking

Political Opportunism, thy name is Belinda Stronach.

OTTAWA - Belinda Stronach, the millionaire businesswoman who ran for the leadership of the Conservative party in early 2004, has crossed the floor to the Liberal party and will sit in Paul Martin's cabinet as minister of human resources and skills development.

Now is the time we need the Monger back. Seriously.

She also said Conservative Leader Stephen Harper is not sensitive to the needs of all parts of the country, and is jeopardizing national unity by allying himself to the Bloc Québécois. "The country must come first," she said.

Her desire for political advancement has finally clouded the remaining vestiges of intellect in this sad, deluded woman. Would someone please remind her that since the Quebec Referendum, the Bloc has maintained its hold on Quebec primarily because of the Liberal Party's scandals, lies, and mismanagement of the country. It is the Liberal party who has put their own coffers, not the country, first.

She also said she is looking forward to tackling the Gomery recommendations when they are presented.

"Only when the people of Canada have renewed confidence and faith in the systems of government can we return to economic prosperity."

What systems of government would that be, Belinda? Please enlighten me. Would that be Liberal Party Hegemony over all aspects of our life? I'll never, ever have confidence or faith in that.

I guess I should have seen this coming. But dang it still stings. Scott Brison has a female counterpart.

Update 5:40pm- As always, Dana at Canadian Comment has a great, well, comment: First off, would someone please explain to me what conservative principles Belinda ever stood for? I can't remember any. Her entire political career to this point has consisted of nothing but her attempting to be a liberal without actually being a member of the Liberal Party. Does anyone disagree here? The simple fact is that she has found her true home. She always has been a liberal and as such she belongs in the Liberal Party. My real point of contention though is with those conservatives who somehow led themselves to believe that she was a conservative, and who for some bizarre reason are upset by this entire episode. I think I'm more upset at her comments, and the timing. Any idiot could see that she wasn't exactly Miss Crystal Conservative, but for her to say she is doing it for "the good of the country" is absolute shunt. And why now? The Liberal Party is finally being called to account for its mismanagement of the country, and the answers they are provided are wanting at best. I'd say it's political suicide, but then again, the treacherous bastard Brison still got elected.

Update 5:51- Colby's got it right when he says, "If the Liberals win Thursday's confidence vote by virtue of Stronach's presence on the government benches, we will continue to have a government openly acknowledged to be illegal by most if not all of the major constitutional authorities in the country."