"There was nowhere to go but up"

The diplomats at Foreign Affairs can't believe they've actually got a good Minister on their hands. It's been a while.

"Another Canadian diplomat expressed relief that the department has finally gotten a capable minister after a string impressively underqualified ones.

'There was nowhere to go but up,' said the relieved DFAIT official. 'This is a guy who, unlike any of his immediate predecessors, has experience as a leader, experience as the manager of a large organization and in making decisions in complex operating environments.

'With his credentials, his background and his skill set, he's certainly looking better than anyone since [former Liberal foreign affairs minister Pierre] Pettigrew.'"

That's not just Maxime they're dissing...they're lookin' at you too, Junior...:) Yep, the diplomats have a lot of interesting things to say when lunching in the cafeteria:

"This place has been so beat up that just a steady hand on the tiller will be welcomed," said one.

The desperation oozing out of these comments speaks volumes to Harper's tenure.

Some DFAIT officials expressed relief that Mr. Emerson was not appointed to pander to any domestic political constituency. After all, one said, both Peter MacKay and Maxime Bernier were "so obviously parked in foreign affairs for political reasons."

It's widely believed Mr. MacKay was given the file in recognition of his former position as leader of the Progressive Conservatives, which merged with the Canadian Alliance to form the new Conservative Party in 2003. Mr. Bernier was appointed because he is from Quebec.

And it's not just the internal diplomats, three officials from other countries express support for Emerson in the report as well.

Bernier's got to be one of the the easiest Ministerial acts in recent memory to follow...:)

Gotta say, it's just sad to read such commentary. The Foreign Affairs department deserves much better than Harper's given them to date.