He's a clown, that Charlie Brown

A British critic of Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin recently christened our current political boss -- at least boss of those domains east of the Lakehead -- 'Mr. Dithers.' This named shows a woeful misunderstanding of those characters that populate American comic strips, for the name Mr. Dithers, despite the perceived dithering of 'The Honorable Mister Deer-Trapped-in-the-Headlights', he is truly no Mr. Dithers. Mr. Dithers, Dagwood Bumstead's tyrannical boss, is bullheaded, forthright, and very much in charge at all times. So, Mr. Martin is no Mr. Dithers. He is, in fact, Charlie Brown. Good Old Charlie Brown. Good Old Wishy-Washy Charlie Brown of the Schulz strip 'Peanuts.' Charlie Brown, desperate to please everyone, longing for all who know him, to love him. Unprepared to make any sort of a commitment that might earn censure from some quarter or other, Charlie Brown cannot even earn the respect of his Beagle. That Charlie Brown Martin is a grievous disappointment to people who actually care about this country -- and I've heard there are some -- is to state the case lightly. Fiercely ambitious, Paul Martin is a classic example of the 'Peter Principle' in action. That is, he fought for the top for ages, and certainly exuded an aura of being a preferable PM to the thuggish Jean Chretien, but, when he got there, where was the follow through? What was he giving the nation. Wishy-washiness! Whether it's on missile defense, gay marriage, decriminalization of pot, or Western alienation, nothing happened. He squeaked into a minority government, and it is only due to the woeful ineptitude of Tory Harper and the pathetic hubris of that NDP guy, whose name escapes, as it should, that Mr. Martin still occupies his position. So, forget Mr. Dithers. As for missile defense, the Mr. Dithers of renown would have ridden that ICBM down, Slim Pickens style, to its disposal somewhere over Nunavut. Charlie Brown, meanwhile, will get his kite caught in a tree. If Mr. Martin actually does show up at the barbecue at the Bush Spread, we advise him 'not' to get in a football game.

He's gonna get caught,
Just you wait and see.
"Why is everybody always
pickin' on me?"