I know Canada isn't exactly the favorite country for many on this blog, but Americans (yes, even Texans) have to face the fact that Canadian politics mean more than any other country for the US. We are socially and economically (as well as geographically, of course) bound to Canada like no other country, so what happens there affects us in palpable ways.
It looks, at this point, barring extraordinary circumstances, that the Liberal party's 13 year reign in the parliament is coming to an end tonight. The Conservatives (aka. "Tories") nailed them on corruption allegations and came out on top (well, sort of-- the Tories actually will have a plurality, not a majority, but it's enough in Canada).
I know many will disagree with me, but I say good for the Tories. I don't like the Conservative platform, and I don't think they're the party to move Canada forward. I think they're militaristic, selfish, and overly nationalist. But, the ends don't justify the means. No matter how good your ideas are, if you can't keep your nose clean then you don't deserve to rule.
Furthermore, corruption and lawbreaking erode the rule of law and wipe away accountability. The natural result, therefore, is a party that is a) more authoritarian, and b) more incompetent. The natural link between authoritarianism and incompetence is something Josh Marshall pointed to a week or os ago; I'm not gonna go find the link, but I'd suggest taking a look at TPM. I don't know if those traits have already begun to appear in the Liberal party, but if haven't yet, then they would have if the Liberals weren't held accountable for their transgresses.
As we know with the American Democratic party, nothing cleans up a party like getting burned in an election because of internal scandals. The Liberals will be back, cleaner and better than before, and Canada will be the better for it, even if it means dealing with the Tories for a while.
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