How Do You Know...

...When a politician is lying?

They have their mouth open.

Or at least, so goes the old barroom joke.

However, it appears Brian Mulroney may well have perjured himself in his 1996 testimony under oath regarding his dealings with Karlheinz Schreiber.

Yes, we are talking about dealings that went on over a decade in the past. In fact, I wouldn't even raise them today but for a few other little tidbits in recent events. First, there have been hints of Mulroney's influence on the transition team that helped install Stephen Harper. Second, former Liberal MP David Emerson's recent defection, with emerging allegations that the Martin government had already made considerable progress towards a deal on softwood lumber.

And then, there's this column from Greg Weston pointing out the connections between Defense Minister O'Connor and the defense industry. (We aren't just talking "past employment" here, but also a career as an active lobbyist for the industry)

Of course, can we ever forget Peter MacKay's less than graceful sell-out to the Alliance mere months after promising not to do just that.

Between walking landmines like Stockwell Day, and Emerson ( a man Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in Dune would have killed by now, on the basis of never trusting a traitor, even when you created them ), having guys like O'Connor in the cabinet should simply turn up more and more Mulroney-esque machinations in the Tory cabinet.

Brian Mulroney is seen by many as the 'patron saint' of the CPC - a saint that has apparently had more influence on the party than any would have imagined, it would seem. (and people wonder why I haven't trusted HarperCo to date?)