Chretien promoting Bob Rae as interim Liberal leader

Even if you support Bob Rae as interim leader, the way this is going down should alarm everyone:

Chretien promoting Rae as interim Liberal leader 

Jean Chretien is urging Liberals to support Toronto MP Bob Rae as interim leader of the decimated federal party.

Sources say the former prime minister has been phoning both defeated and re-elected MPs since the Liberal party’s historic defeat in Monday’s election.

The once-mighty party was reduced to third place with only 34 MPs — even Leader Michael Ignatieff lost his seat.

Chretien has been promoting the idea that Rae should be interim leader for two years, giving the party time to pick itself up off the mat before going into a contest to choose a permanent successor to Ignatieff.

Rae appears to have considerable support among Liberal senators, most of whom were appointed by Chretien and who now outnumber the tiny group of elected MPs.

However, some MPs say privately that a backlash is developing to the machinations to install Rae

If this is the first order of business of the new Liberal Party, backroom dealing, I’m thinking we’ve got exactly what we deserved.