I agree with former Premier Bernard Lord

Former Premier Bernard Lord hit the nail on the head in the Times and Transcript this morning with regards to the federal Liberal party:

"I think the Liberal party of Canada has some serious issues in rebuilding. It's not just the question of the leader, and if they think their issues are only because of Stéphane Dion, I think they are missing a part of the big picture," said Lord, noting the party's struggles in Western Canada and Quebec.

"The fact is, they are completely not there in some parts of Canada."

I'll even elaborate a little further in saying, if they [Liberals] don't address their party divisions and lack of vision through a policy and rebuilding process, much like the New Brunswick PC party failed to do recently, then they are destined to make the same mistakes over and over again no matter who's at the helm. And yes, that even includes Frank McKenna, who btw, has little to no experience leading a party who doesn't hold all or most of the seats. Good luck with that.

Anyway, it could be just me, but the Liberals appear to still be in a serious state of denial to their overall political situation federally.

Morer

It would seem Globe & Mail columnist Jeffrey Simpson agrees with both Lord & I. Not only that, he sees the Liberal coalition built in the 70s as a total non-factor: "The coalition that sustained Pierre Trudeau has largely vanished. No more Quebec. No more industrial Ontario. No more swaths of support in Western Canada." As Gerry Nicholls would say, "The Trudeau Empire has fallen and it can't get up."

Even morer

Peter C Newman: "Lester Pearson understood that allowing a new generation to take over was the cure for what ailed the Liberals, even if it meant being displaced, eight years later, by the Phantom of the Canadian Opera, Pierre Trudeau."

This is exactly what the Liberals need to do, and it's exactly what the PCs under Clark and Reform party under Manning did when they handed over important portfolios to budding young superstars like Peter Mackay, Stephen Harper, Monte Solberg, Chuck Strahl, Jason Kenney, John Herron, Scott Brison, Keith Martin, Rahim Jaffer, Grant McNally, Jim Pankiw, etc.

It's funny b/c I remember telling a colleague of mine in Ottawa around the year 2001 about the fact the Liberals had no new blood coming up through the system. Not on the party executive, not amongst staff, none in the caucus. Near the end of the Chretien era, they were a stalled entity. And now they are seriously hurting because of it.