Angry in the Great White North

That Joe Volpe is in deep trouble, again, is par for the course:

His campaign has seen its share of controversy since the spring and there's speculation Liberal leadership candidate Joe Volpe may bow out of the race after another alleged scandal.

A published report claims the Volpe campaign team signed up dozens of members in Quebec without their knowledge or without paying the required $10 fee and two of those new Grit recruits were deceased.

As many have said, it takes a powerful leader to garner the dead vote.

But put aside the zombie jokes for a moment. I think it's fair to say that Joe Volpe is planning to quit:

The former Paul Martin-era cabinet minister is scheduled to hold a press conference Monday morning in Ottawa and there's speculation as to whether he'll pull out of the race or defend himself against the allegations.

I say he's quitting. Why? Because he's scheduled a news conference 48 hours into the future. That's a dead give-away. Politicians always preceded an announcement of quitting or resigning with several days of "deep thought and personal re-evaluation".

But besides the attempt to recover a bit of dignity, the delay serves another purpose. It is time to make phone calls to the major camps, and to check out the appetite for some sort of deal. Would anyone be interested in his support? At what price? Given the potential for offers and counter-offers, it could take some time.

I bet that's what Volpe is doing right now. Working the phones. I guess we'll know tomorrow.