Harper gang: MacKay went rogue attacking Colvin

If there's one thing Stephen Harper won't do it's admit defeat or that he's wrong, despite all evidence to the contrary, but the spin being put out by his people on the Afghan torture issue is telling:

However, it is understood that two Conservatives who have been the subject of much shuffle speculation will not be moving. Peter MacKay, the Defence Minister, will keep his job, despite being heavily criticized for his role in the Afghan detainee issue.

Senior Conservatives said Mr. MacKay was guilty of "freelancing" when he attacked the credibility of public servant Richard Colvin over his testimony on the detainee issue before a parliamentary committee last fall. Still, moving the Defence Minister would be an admission of defeat by a government that maintains it has done nothing wrong on the file.

Yes, MacKay came up with his attack line on Colvin all on his own. And every Conservative spokesthingy and pundit that took to the airwaves parroting his attack-line on Colvin, that was purely coincidental, and the PMO knew nothing at all about that because the Harper team tends to be rather hands-off when it comes to communicating the message, and usually just lets its ministers and surogates go out there and say whatever.

Riiiight.

Don't worry Peter, you'll keep your job for now because it would embarrass the boss to punt you now. But I'd be updating the CV, because once the heat dies down...

The same insider suggested more likely candidates to be shuffled include Lisa Raitt, the Natural Resources Minister, who has been at the centre of a series of controversies after leaving a secret document in a TV newsroom and being caught on tape calling the isotope shortage "sexy."

I give you until the fall, at best.

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