Another one (Liberal MP) bites the dust

Don't think I could have written it better myself...

Dion loses a fifth Liberal MP
JANE TABER

From Thursday's Globe and Mail
July 12, 2007 at 2:25 AM EDT

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion is losing another caucus member as rookie Saskatchewan MP Gary Merasty, who backed Michael Ignatieff for the leadership, is stepping down for a job in the private sector.

Some Grits consider him one of the top next-generation leaders in the party and one veteran Liberal called his departure a loss to the party and a reflection of Mr. Dion's leadership.

“There have been some big names go, which is unfortunate, but [it] speaks to the adage that MPs generally measure three things when an election looms. Getting elected, getting into government, getting into cabinet,” a veteran Liberal wrote in an e-mail.

“Dion has made the calculation easy.”

True, Mr. Dion has lost a fifth active MP, but that doesn't capture the true essence of the pickle he's in... this is THE SIXTEENTH LIBERAL MP that will not stand for re-election as a Dion Liberal.

The exodous continues...

UPDATE: A bunch of Liberal bloggers have chimed in on it. One critizies Jane Taber's use of an "anonymous veteran Liberal MP" as her source (welcome to the club buddy), another has some good observations on the event and the upcoming byelection in the riding, and the third is clearly not happy with losing one of their few western MP's.