REFLECTIONS ON LORD BLACK, 'LYIN' BRIAN, AND O.J.

What can one say about Lord Black of Crossharbours? Is he sane? Is he a martyr? Is he a fool? An idiot? A shyster? A crook?

Lord Black

And what about the boy from Baie Comeau who, in the mean streets of his hometown used to charm and sing songs for Colonel McCormick, the wealthy owner of the Chicago Tribune? The one who became Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney? Is he sane? Is he a bit slow? Is he an idiot, shyster or crook?

Brian Mulroney (on the right) with former friend

For certain they are both narcissists. They love the limelight. They love attention. They think primarily of themselves. They love mellifluous language, particularly when it is spoken by themselves. When each speaks, they themselves are their favorite subject.

Fundamentally, they are both snobs. Ordinary people, unless they are people whose favour they may require to curry in the short term, are the flotsam and jetsam of life. Both love to consort with the rich, powerful and famous. Each loves the camaraderie found in the oak panelled board rooms, in the company of men of substance, captains of industry, and conservative movers and shakers.

Corporate governance, to both, is clearly a nuisance. In Black's words it is "rubbish," and its spokespeople, fanatics. Mulroney, who has yet to be quoted on the subject, has displayed his disdain for the post-Enron movement by not stepping down from even one of his many lucrative Board appointments despite the disquieting, and now quite substantiated facts about his 'dealings' with a shadowy businessman who sought the favour of the Canadian government.

Black (on right) with friend

Both then are narcissists. Indeed, even to the untrained eye and ear, it is evident that both probably suffer from a clinical 'narcissistic' personality disorder. In their own minds they can do whatever they wish. Because, as each might say, "Its all about me!"

Watching Lord Black commit his very public hara-kiri, and Brian Mulroney blarney his way through the reasons for his inexcusable behaviour, brings to mind another celebrity who continues to be forever etched in our minds, whether we like it or not. None other than the notorious Orenthal J. Simpson, formerly of football fame, but now, the quite infamous "O.J." as the North American pop world refers to him.

O.J.

Just as Mr. Simpson continues to effortlessly stumble or propel himself by design into public spectacles, so does Lord Black and Brian Mulroney. Most recently, Simpson allowed himself to be once again the subject of lurid headlines as part of a strong arm operation gone bad to retrieve what he says are his own personal items. The result is criminal charges of armed robbery, protestations of innocence and no doubt, another spectacular trial. This time he may be carried off in an orange jumpsuit for some time. But what the hell, as O. J. no doubt believes, "Its all about me."


And what about Lord Black? He tweaks his tormentors, goads them, berates them, attacks them, libels them. Indeed he does all of this and more. Nonstop. Facing six and a half or so years in the slammer, he continues to needle the prosecution, the now-revered culture of corporate governance, and his unhappy shareholders who brought him down.

Even his old pals, like William F. Buckley and Henry Kissinger - both fellow narcissists in their own right - do not escape his vitriol. Witness Black's column in today's National Post that trashed them both because of their incredibly luke-warm endorsements of his character in the sentencing process.

So whatever else Conrad Black may be - anti-social, psychopathic, arrogant bully (and he is that for sure), crook - he is a narcissist. They say there's a bit of the narcissist in all of us and that sometimes it is good. That may well be true. But there is a whole lot of it in Conrad Black, and - particularly now - it is not so good for him.

Beyond that, as many have suspected, suspicions which have now been confirmed by the Trial Judge and Jury, he is also - - how can I put this - alas, a felon.

One hopes he will see a shrink as well as the warden in the years ahead.

And now for Muldoon (as that splendid muckraking rag 'Frank Magazine' calls him). The fact that he is a narcissistic and grovelling personality is beyond debate. Of course he is. The preening, the primping, the pandering to power, the public crooning of Irish ballads to the President of the United States, the indefatigable bowing and scraping and kow-towing to the likes George H. W. Bush, the society weddings, the corporate board appointments, yada, yada, yada. Yes, we know him well. And in the words of that great Canadian chronicler of the national condition, Peter C. Newman, "He bugs us still."

But what of an ex-Prime Minister who, while still in office befriends and consorts with a sleazy and corrupt businessman who makes a living through bribing government officials? An ex-Prime Minister who agrees to take cash to lobby for this gentleman shortly after leaving office? An ex-Prime Minister who, shortly after leaving office, is paid $100,000 cash payments from the same sleaze bag on three different occasions in three different hotels? An ex-Prime Minister who takes that money and puts it in a safety deposit box, who spends at least part of the money, and only years later - only when things get hot - pays tax on the money? An ex-Prime Minister who does not appear to have rendered any service for that money and to this day has not rendered an account for any service, and who misled lawyers while under oath in a law suit by denying he ever dealt with the low-life when in fact he did? What about that?

And add to all of that the fact that the three payments of one hundred grand each came from a Swiss bank account controlled by the (tsk tsk) gentleman which contained commissions he earned from Airbus industries for sales of airplanes to Air Canada he helped arrange through his political influence! Oh yes, and remember the lawsuit wherein Muldoon took the Government of Canada for 2.1 million big ones for a defamation, that may not have been a defamation at all.

We know Mulroney is a narcissistic blowhard. But what else is he? The facts thusfar tell us that he may be a whole lot more than that. And that is something the people of Canada have a right to know. In other words, just who was their Prime Minister Brian Mulroney?

The Commons Ethics Committee hearings continue. Surprisingly, there are many talking heads that are saying that we have learned enough. They say, let's get on with it - governing the nation, rising to new challenges, etc. After all, they say, both of them are liars - Schreiber and Mulroney - so what is to be gained by going further in the investigation?

The Canadian people have a right to know about their Prime Ministers and if it takes a public inquiry into highly suspicious facts and circumstances, so be it. Equally, those who aspire to high public office in this country had better learn their limits - and their ethics.

Bring on the public inquiry!

GETTING AHEAD WITH TONY BLAIR: IT IS NOT WHAT YOU KNOW. IT IS NOT WHO YOU KNOW. IT IS ABOUT WHO YOU 'YES.'

We've seen it before in business, government, and the professions. The inept and incompetent moving from one disaster of their own making, to the next - promoted all the way as a result of powerful and influential friends. Not because of competence or success in the last position held. But because of the tender loving care from people in high places, who may value loyalty to the exclusion of all other traits, or who put a premium on pedigree or social status to the exclusion of ability, record of success, or even intelligence.

The name of Robert S. McNamara comes to mind. The wunderkind Eagle Scout, Harvard MBA, and Ford Motor Company CEO who trashed the Edsel - so far so good - together with his boss LBJ, embraced the Domino Theory of third world countries going communist. The result was the build up of American forces in Vietnam, the subsequent 9 years American participation in a civil war, the millions of casualties among innocent Vietnamese, Cambodians and young Americans. Finally, there was the admission of failure. There was defeat and abandonment of the cause. His reward: President of the World Bank.

Similarly there is the career of Henry Kissinger. Harvard Scholar and Professor, National Security Advisor and Secretary of State in the Nixon and Ford Administrations, Kissinger bears the dubious distinction of being behind the bombing of Cambodia during the Viet Nam War. The direct result was the Cambodian civil war, from which the Khmer Rouge emerged victorious. The aftermath was a genocide of several million innocent Cambodians. He was behind CIA support in bringing to power General Pinochet in Chile. He actively supported the Argentina's dirty war carried out by the Military Junta. His travel is so restricted, for fear of arrest for war crimes, that for years he has traveled outside the United States only with the utmost caution. The result: a lengthy list of Corporate Directorships, including the infamous Hollinger International (where he too paid little attention to the financial statements), and an advisory capacity with George W. Bush, rendering advice on how to deal with Iraq!

More recently, we have the case of Paul Wolfowitz, the notoriously infamous neocon Deputy Secretary of Defence, who was one of the architects of the disasterous invasion of Iraq and its consequences, the greatest military misadventure in the history of the United States. His reward: like McNamara, President of the World Bank. He has since had to resign because he was caught using his influence getting his banker girlfriend a sweetheart job deal. What's next for him? A nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize?

Canada is somewhat less forgiving of real or perceived ineptitude. When John Turner failed to inspire the masses as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, he returned to a modest private law practice, and significant corporate directorships eluded him. Equally with ex-Alberta Premier Don Getty, when he left office after a less than stellar performance as Premier. However there is the exceptional case of Premier Ed Stelmach of Alberta. Although it may sound incongruous mentioning his name in such lofty company, by Canadian standards his career should have been torpedoed as a result of his dismal performance as Infrastructure Minister, Transportation Minister and member of the Agenda and Priorities Committee in the Alberta government. Instead, the Tory rank and file rewarded him with the Party Leadership and Premiership. It will take his forthcoming fall in the next provincial election to put Ed in his rightful place of Canadian politicians who screwed up.

And in recent days we have the strange case of Tony Blair. Charming, charismatic, and bright, Blair was in the early part of his career as Prime Minister, highly popular in the country. Although his record at this early point in history appears to be somewhat pedestrian, his policies included a greater reliance on market forces, and more spending on health and education. He admirably played a significant role in the Northern Ireland Peace process.

Blair's downfall was his slavish support of the policies of George W. Bush in respect to the unwinnable Iraq war. In his country, he appeared to be a patsy or handmaiden to the widely disliked President. He embellished existing intelligence on Sadam's WMD capability, the basis of which proved to be false. He indulged in identical Bushite rhetoric in support of Britain and the United States' role in the conflict, all of which further diminished his standing in the eyes of his people, who increasingly opposed the war. In most of the Arab world he became as much of an anathema as his ally Bush. He was ultimately hounded from office by the British people and his party.

Blair's reward: an appointment as Middle East Envoy for the United Nations, approved by the European Union and Russia (one wonders how and why), and, of course, by the United States (which is quite understandable). He botched Iraq. Instead of letting him mercifully pass into history, his pals give him another chance. This time he may botch the rest of the Middle East.