The writer is far too generous to Mr. O'Leary. One of the first things students of Canadian political history learn is that a would-be prime minister must have at least a working knowledge of French and some ability to speak the language.

Mr. O'Leary doesn't deserve credit for pointing out such an obvious fact; he deserves censure for either being ignorant of it or too arrogant to think it applied to himself.

The only lesson from all this is that voters should beware of charlatans and con men and women who aren't serious about taking on the major responsibility of representing them in government, and are just gaming the system for their own pleasure.

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but this insincere, self-centered man wasted a lot of people's energy, time and money; made fools of supporters who thought he was sincere; and added to the corrosive cynicism that eats at our politics. His only positive contribution is his ducking out before he did any more damage.