The Sell Out (Part 8)

"My judgement, as of now, is that I am the best." - Pierre Elliot Trudeau

Just watching clips of the former prime minister of Canada on the CBC archives and I wonder about politics and the necessity of selling out.  With any leader, there will be moments when they have to give up former positions and beliefs in order to survive.  Trudeau, more than any other Canadian politician in the last fifty years, was able to shift with the political winds and spar with the opposing parties, media, and his own conscience.

I should also say that I am reading the second half of John English's biography of Pierre Trudeau (appropriately enough, the title is "Just Watch Me" ) and I still marvel at what the man was able to do in our particular hemisphere.  Would I draw a parallel with any other leader?  Yes, I think that it is apropos: Barack Obama.  A charismatic politician with little experience on the national level is suddenly thrust into the glare of the media and public opinion.  He is popular, but that popularity becomes sorely tested by the realities of the job. 

And whenever these types of leaders leave office, there is always a favorable reassessment.  Not bad for a couple of sell outs...