A Senator’s Diary

The Ol’ Duff did not anticipate this. No, sir, did not see this one coming at all. Turns out it’s even more painful sitting here listening to Bayne defend me than it is listening to the Crown attack me.

Three days in, the Ol’ Duff realizes he can handle the monstrous slanders and trumped-up charges cobbled together by the State— it’s the excuses he can’t stand.

“Oh, poor Ol’ Duff, not his fault—just fell off the potato truck, just a raw rookie in Ottawa, just a rube from the Island, who couldn’t possibly understand a set of rules so vague, so wishy-washy, so confusing he couldn’t even figure out where he lived.”

That’s what’s so galling, that’s what’s so insulting about all this—the pretence that the wily Ol’ Duff didn’t know exactly where the weak spots were.

You’re talking to a man who remembers clear as day the electricity he felt through his entire body when he submitted his first expense account. CFCY, Charlottetown, 1961—the Young Duff was just 15 years old, but already a budding media personality, co-host of a TV dance party.

One night, there was a snowstorm and we couldn’t get home, and the manager said he’d reimburse us for a couple of snacks of our choice from the vending machine to tide us over. So I had a couple of Oh Henry! bars and a couple of bags of Humpty Dumptys. But I also managed to charge them for a roll of Rolos and refill for my Pez dispenser, which weren’t even in the vending machine!

I was hooked!

2 Comments

  1. The genuine stuff. Pure gold. How the hell are you guys at Frank getting into his diary? Nobody, I repeat nobody, could possibly be making this up.

  2. What about the dog?
    See CBC’s grep search reports of
    [ http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mike-duffy-diaries-reveal-frailties-foibles-and-desire-to-be-popular-1.3027298 ]
    Duffy’s diary: By the numbers

    Number of mentions in Mike Duffy’s calendar entries covering 2009-2013, submitted by the Crown as evidence at his trial this week:
    ■Nigel Wright (ex-PMO chief of staff): 19
    ■Gerry Donohue (contracted by Duffy): 19
    ■PM Stephen Harper interactions: 22
    ■Laureen Harper: 8
    ■Ray Novak (PMO staffer): 10
    ■”Senate reform”: 19
    ■Senator David Tkachuk: 7
    ■Senator Marjory LeBreton: 10
    ■Senator Carolyn Stewart Olsen: 4
    ■Senator Patrick Brazeau: 6
    ■Senator Pamela Wallin: 5
    ■Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau: 4
    ■Swiss Chalet: 24
    ■Chloe (the Duffys’ dog): 47

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