Karlheinz Schreiber is trying to sound more reasonable:

Schreiber told the Canadian Press that it would be difficult for him to testify at an inquiry in Canada if he's in a German jail and facing criminal charges. The comments were more moderate than those from an earlier interview in which he told the Globe and Mail that he wouldn't say "one fu--ing word" if he's extradited.

Schreiber's comments follow an Ontario appeals court decision Thursday that paved the way for Schreiber's deportation to Germany where he is facing fraud, tax evasion, and bribery charges. The order was delayed for 14 days to give Schreiber a last shot at appeal to stay in Canada.

Now I have to ask myself, why would he throttle back like that?

From his point of view, it serves no purpose. If he tells the government it would be difficult to testify from Germany, so what? The government is not interested in Karlheniz Schreiber's comfort. Indeed the government would like Schreiber to go away (either because the government is trying to hide a crime, or because it doesn't need this distraction from this liar, depending on your point of view).

Schreiber was better off speaking in absolutes. Send me to Germany and I don't say a word. The government might send him back anyway, but if the government really wanted to hear what he had to say, this would be the only way to avoid any...misunderstanding...about the consequences for any inquiry if Schreiber was sent back to Germany.

To look at it another way, if Schreiber goes to Germany and clams up, the Liberals will scream, Coverup! But with what Schreiber has said about the possibility of testifying from Germany (the difficulty notwithstanding), the government can say that there was no compelling reason to deny the German extradition request, and that it is a surprise and disappointment that Schreiber has changed his mind.

But consider Schreiber's allies in the Liberal Party, acting on his behalf. Schreiber is making threats to the government about not testifying, but the Liberals have to deliver a different message to a different audience. Liberal Irwin Cotler tried to convince Canadians about the importance of Schreiber's testimony:

The opposition is raising the heat on the Conservatives to cancel Karlheinz Schreiber's extradition order.

Liberal human rights critic Irwin Cotler told CTV Newsnet's Mike Duffy Live that an inquiry into the Mulroney-Schreiber affair will be put in jeopardy if Schreiber is sent back to Germany.

"For that public inquiry to proceed you need to have the main witness present otherwise the truth can't be pursued, (and) in the end justice cannot be served," said Cotler.

If Karlheniz Schreiber comes off as too strident, then the problem for Liberals like Cotler is that phrases like "justice cannot be served" sound hollow. Who believes justice is going to be served when it is clear (to casual observers, anyway) that Karlheinz Schreiber is a liar and a blackmailer who would say anything to stay in the country?

So Schreiber tones it down. Now he is interested in justice too. In fact, he is so concerned that he doesn't want anything to get in the way of doing the right thing. Does he want to go back to Germany? Of course not, but he would try his best to testify in the inquiry all the way from Germany.

It's just that it would be so difficult. Perhaps too dificult for a man of Schreiber's age. Wouldn't it be better for the government not to take that risk, for the sake of justice?

Cotler and Schreiber are now reading off the same page, and Cotler's arguments sound more credible. And that's the point. Schreiber's change in tone only makes sense when it is combined with people like Cotler making their arguments on TV. On his own, Schreiber was better off being unreasonable.

All this makes me wonder if someone gave Schreiber a heads up. But that would suggest some sort of collusion between Karlheinz Schreiber and his defenders, especially those in the Liberal Party.

I can't believe the Liberals would engage in that sort of thing with the likes of Karlheinz Schreiber.

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