Justice denied

This is just mind numbing.

A new poll released yesterday shows that, by a margin of two to one, Canadians are more likely to finger Martin -- not Chretien -- for being solely responsible for the sponsorship mess.

How do you define "perverse"?

Notwithstanding that Martin was Finance Minister during the high water of the sponsorship program, it was Chretien who ran the ship of state with his death grip firmly on the rudder. It was Chretien who initiated the sponsorship program. It was Chretien's thugs who administered the program in Quebec.

So why is Martin, and not the Shawinigan Strangler, taking the heat?

Chretien has kept a low profile, limiting his explanation to an appearance before the Gomery inquiry during which he defended the sponsorship program as a necessary element of his government's efforts to fight separatism in his home province. He added, however, anyone who broke the law should be held accountable.

Martin has toured the country and said he was as offended as anyone else by the scandal. He also appeared before the inquiry, saying he wasn't aware of the details of the sponsorship program and insisted Gomery should be allowed to get to the bottom of the scandal.

The critical question asked by political observers has always been whether Martin would pay a political price for the transgressions which occurred under the Chretien government's watch.

Ironically, the poll shows it's Martin -- not Chretien -- who is paying the price.

"Canadians see Prime Minister Martin talking about it, answering questions about it, and trying to manage it," writes Nanos, "so they see it as his responsibility more than Chretien's. And Chretien's not talking."

So by simply keeping both sides of his mouth shut, Chretien has successfully (to date) dodged this bullet.

If Chretien escapes getting tagged, it will be thanks to the legendary short memory of today's voter in the television era. A classic case of justice denied. Let's hope Justice Gomery doesn't deny Jean his rightful place in Canadian political history when he writes his report.