The commentary we ran on political junkies the other day continues to bear juicy fruit. Paul Martin, a colleague at the University of Vermont and master of all things Canadian, passed on some choice thoughts about the state of play in the race for head of Canada’s Liberal Party, and the larger race for Prime Minister.

Martin’s horse? An Ontario MP named Michael Ignatieff. Number one reason to pull for Ignatieff, other than the way his name rolls off the tongue?

Ignatieff “has a sound sense of the tragic.” Beautiful.

Always good to remember that there is a parallel universe of maneuvering and ambition only a stone’s throw to the North.

And don’t forget to read the long interview with Mark Shepard over the weekend, just below this post. It won’t make for tranquil reading — it derails unexpectedly into a painful discussion of Shepard’s Defense of Marriage initiative — but we give you this VDB guarantee: you’ll never look at Libby’s Blue Line Diner the same way again.

Oh, and a parting shot at Donald Rumsfeld, who now has six — count ‘em, six — retired Generals calling for his ouster. Can you say, “Sunday show barbeque”?