Slouching Towards Bethlehem

If Michael Ignatieff were a Hollywood star, he would have blamed the bottle for his recent outburst, checked into rehab, then hit the grovelling apology tour to show off how remorseful he is in his presumed repentance.

Well, he's going to skip the 12-step part and go right to the thirteeth step:

Liberal leadership front-runner Michael Ignatieff says he'll travel to the Middle East next month in the wake of comments that have enraged Canada's Jewish community and members of his own party.
"We will be meeting with the Israeli prime minister and Palestinian leaders to discuss peace, long-term solutions and how Canada can help the parties get back on the path to peace," Ignatieff said today during a speech at the University of Toronto.

Ignatieff has been fiercely criticized for describing Israel’s bombing of a Lebanese village as a "war crime" during an interview earlier this week on a Quebec radio show.

Today, the self-described "life-long friend and supporter of Israel" noted that both Israeli and Lebanese citizens had suffered in a conflict "provoked by Hezbollah and its backers to lure Israel into a wider war."

Yes, this trip is Iggy performing public penance. But it is also Iggy performing the prime ministerial role as the great statesman going off to make peace. This is the best photo op he's had yet, full of solemnity and gravitas, and he will milk it for all it's worth.

Lo, another saviour comes forth in the Holy Land!

Source: Toronto Star