So...Why did Michael Ignatieff come back?

I just tweeted Michael Ignatieff.

I can't send him a message on twitter because he isn't following me...yet.  But I can broadcast a tweet that might catch his eye by putting @M_Ignatieff in the message.  Here's what I wrote:

@M_Ignatieff, serious question. "Why did you come back"? Going to speculate on my blog, but would love to hear fthm, not that ur a horse

I used up all of my 144 characters, which is why I abbreviated 'from the horse's mouth'.  If fthm becomes a common short form for texters, I call dibs and expect royalties.

So, why did Michael Ignatieff come back to Canada?  Here's a man who was already world famous, probably more so outside of Canada than in it.  Particularly in the UK where he was a regular on numerous BBC shows.  He taught at the University of Toronto as well as a number of world famous institutions including Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard. 

The Liberal party leader has authored more books than many Canadians have probably read.  Charpters/Indigo's website has 81 you can choose from if you're so inclined. (LINK)

Mr. Ignatieff easily could have sat back on his many accomplishments and enjoyed the life of a retired academic, author, broadcaster and political commentator. Instead he chose to return to his home and native land. 

Why? 

I know he didn't come back for "me", I'm not that egotistical.  But I think I have a pretty good guess as to the possible motivation.. 

Just skimming through the mountain of reading material available reveals a man passionate about politics, and with finding the best possible solutions to the problems confronting society.  It doesn't matter if that society is Canadian, American or British, what matters is thoughtful research and contemplation before reaching a conclusion on the political issues facing peoples and nations.

Does that mean his opinions are always right?  No.  Like Stephen Harper he argued for Canadian involvement in the U.S. invasion of Iraq, something many saw as a wrong view.  And on the question of torture he has written in favour of aggressive interrogation techniques given the dangers of terrorism.

So is that the reason he came back?  To foist his opinions on the Canadian political landscape.  In my opinion, that's likely a big part of the reason.  Like a sportscaster commenting on the NHL who dreams of strapping on the skates and giving it a go, I'm guessing Michael wanted to get down to the nitty gritty instead of standing on the sidelines.

It would be nice if we could have some honest political discussion from our party leaders.  But with the Tories using their war chest to dominate the airwaves with endless sound bites and slogans its difficult to change the tone. 

So Mr. Ignatieff, why don't you write a column or publish a  letter to Canadians telling us why you came back.  Or you can answer my tweet and I'll happily pass it along.  I'm not promising to vote Liberal, but I'm not ruling it out.

I'm still an undecided voter, the only decision I've made is that I won't be voting for the Harper Regime.  Of course anyone who reads this blog already knows that.  As of this moment I'm giving equal consideration to the Liberals, NDP and Greens. 




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