Robbing Peter to pay Paul

What a difference a day makes in politics.

Yesterday Stephen Harper was bearing down on the Liberals full bore. Today, Belinda Stronach has taken the wind out of his sails. Martin has pulled the proverbial rabbit out of his hat and may be ready to conclude his magic act on Thursday. All he has left to do is deal with that weasel Kilgour. (Just add that to the bill, OK Paul?)

But the neglected angle to this dramatic development has to be the personal one. What will become of Belinda and Peter MacKay now that Martin has had his way with her? The report in the Globe and Mail today was terse but revealing:

By Monday evening, Ms. Stronach and Mr. Martin were working out a deal over dinner.

After that meeting, she called deputy Tory Leader Peter MacKay, to whom she had been romantically linked, and told him what had happened.

Mr. MacKay was gobsmacked, said one of his confidants. He picked up the phone and broke the news to Mr. Harper on Tuesday morning.

Gobsmacked?