No, They're Not All Alike

Had Gurmant Grewal been a Liberal MP conducting a sting operation against a Conservative minority government desperately seeking any means to survive a non-confidence vote, not only would the media have cheered him as a hero for exposing corruption, but his Liberal caucus mates would have congratulated him for pulling off such a sly move.

Not the Conservative caucus, though, according to Canoe:

While agreeing the Liberals have been caught with their hand in the cookie jar, many other Conservatives reacted with public ambivalence and private vitriol to their colleague's ruse.

Sources said there's deep distrust of Grewal in caucus and his future in the party was limited even before this incident.

He was taken to task at caucus Wednesday and told his actions were dishonest, wrong and brought disrepute to all politicians.

If indeed this was a sting operation, as Grewal maintains, he was told Harper should have been informed from the outset and the negotiations carried on far longer than necessary to obtain incriminating evidence.

There is also a sentiment among some Conservatives that information remains to come out and - if it turns out Grewal lied to Harper about his involvement with the Liberals - he should be turfed from the party.

Grewal's sting operation has done more to reveal the criminal venality that dominates the Prime Minister's Office than hundreds of witnesses and thousands of documents at any government inquiry could hope to do. It has also destroyed any claims that Paul Martin could have credibly made about corruption being a problem only under Jean Chretien's government.

Yet there is at least some residual sense of honour and respect for parliamentary tradition and fair dealing in the Tory caucus. They still believe that there are some things that just aren't to be done, no matter the potential political rewards.

This is the difference between motivation by power and motivation by principle.