Paul Martin's Sad Irony

The future of Paul Martin's Liberal government is up in the air. Martin's tv gambit seems to have given him a bounce in the polls; apparently knowing that an election will be called once the Gomery inquiry is over was good enough for Canada's voters. I don't know that this really instills any more faith in Martin, but waiting for an election early next year is ok for the election wary populace. Even with the NDP's support however, this may not be enough to hold off an election.
Unfortunately for Martin, Stephen Harper has decided he will attempt to bring down the Liberal government as soon as he can. Harper was a little hesitant to attempt a non-confidence motion before when he would have had a clear lead, but perhaps wants to attempt one now while he still has high hopes. A clear sign of Canada's lack of confidence in Harper, or fear of even, is that he still doesn't have enough popularity to form a clear majority. The exposure of massive corruption over the past several years from major federal Quebec Liberals has shaken the Canadian trust in the party, but not enough for them to trust Stephen Harper's Conservative party. Based on current polls, the best Harper could do now is form a minority government.
To add to the mix, the Bloc Quebecois would do very well if an election were called. They'd apparently sweep Quebec, with the exception of a few stalwart Liberal ridings. Because of this the Liberals and NDP have said the Conservatives are trying to support the separatists. Harper threw that argument back at the Liberals saying they've done the most to support separatists by perpetrating the massive fraud in the first place.
Because a confidence vote could happen soon, the Liberals and other parties are making sure that all members are available in the House of Commons. Martin even called back the Minister for Veteran's Affairs from a VE ceremony in the Netherlands. He said he regretted the decision but had no choice since he wanted to preserve his government.
It's pretty ironic that Martin created such a huff about becoming PM while Chretien was sticking around. Then he went from taking the mantle, to being expected to win a clear majority, to being lucky to get a minority, to being lucky if he makes it through two years as Prime Minister (barely a year if you count from when he won the election rather than taking over for Chretien). I guess if Paul Martin loses his leadership of the country he'll only have his vast fortune to comfort him... how sad.