Angry in the Great White North

Michael Ignatieff and Stephane Dion are battling over the future of Liberal Party National Director Jamie Carroll:

Stephane Dion is resisting pressure to fire the Liberal party's national director who suggested that former leadership rivals might be plotting against the new boss.

Deputy leader Michael Ignatieff told Dion over the weekend that Jamie Carroll should be fired, sources say.

While he did not demand Carroll's head or issue any ultimatums on the matter, they say Ignatieff argued that Carroll can't remain ostensibly in charge of rebuilding and unifying the party after publicly casting aspersions on the loyalty of erstwhile leadership competitors.

Left on my blog by a person who identifies himself as "Lib in the know":

Marissen [sic] is on his way to Ottawa today. Will be meeting Ignatieff and Dion. Jamie Carroll will be asked to step aside at the end of the session and caucus will agree to this "graceful" exit.

Carroll was behind Gerard Kennedy getting sacked in early April as Readiness Chair. Apparently for his behind the scenes preparation for a quick leadership race in the event of a spring election (loss) or better yet, Dion packing it in.

It will be an interesting Caucus meeting on Wednesday. Liberal tradition is that the National Director of the Party is in attendance, however, this week he has been told to stay home.

Expanding on a comment by "slap happy sam", commenting from his Blackberry:

Apparently Dion's heavy-hitter Mark Marissen is jetting in to Ottawa from the west coast today to deal with this powderkeg.

A third source confirms Marissen was on that plane this morning.

If this is true, it says a lot about Stephane Dion's leadership that Michael Ignatieff can demand one of Dion's people get the hook, and Mark Marissen, the Liberal Party National Campaign Co-Chair, makes it happen.

Of course, Marissen was Dion's campaign manager during the leadership campaign, so Dion is used to doing whatever Marissen tells him to do.

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