It's all about damage control

The latest Liberal talking point, as flagged by Paul Wells, is the "let Judge Gomery finish his work" line, a principle which seemed to elude them last June, when the inquiry had barely begun. By my count, this is the twelfth different defence the party has offered since the scandal first broke. They include: We knew nothing. (The original, and still the best: though hardly anyone seems to believe them -- see below.) It was all the work of a cabal of senior bureaucrats. (The PM's first, ill-fated gambit. Later refined at the Public Accounts committee to "Chuck Guité did all this single-handedly." That was after about three days of hearings.) There had to have been political direction. (By those other guys, of course.) Maybe there wasn't political direction. (After Jean Pelletier's testimony.) It's not that much money. (Reg Alcock, acting on a tip from Dennis Mills.) The Auditor-General is a crazed headline-seeking megalomaniac on a witch-hunt. (At attempt at a whisper campaign, until it turned out she tested off the charts in the focus groups.) This is driven by anti-Italian prejudice. (Pretty much restricted to Alfonso Gagliano, but hey, whatever works.) We may be crooks, but the Tories are s-c-a-r-y. (The implicit message of the Liberal election campaign.) It's time to move on/people are bored. (Offered at various intervals since then in hopes it would become a self-fulfilling prophecy.) We're the victims, here. (Lasted all of about 24 hours in the face of universal hoots of derision.) This will only help the separatists. (They're still pushing this one. Actually, the best thing for federalism is to free federalist Quebecers from the Liberal monopoly: or as Stephen Harper says, Quebecers should have another choice besides separatism or corruption.) Have I missed any?