Such Unwonted Humility....

Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams is well known for his bombastic, confrontational, aggressive style. He is no shrinking violet, charging into an issue of contention using all means fair and foul at his disposal. To argue his case with blistering confidence.

Not necessarily the merits of his case, since on the national scene, they've been entirely without merit, but to argue convincingly against common sense through the very physical force of his outrage. Common sense being that emoluments that are not entitled, rest in the arena of gratuitous over-spending.

But that's another story altogether. This story is about a premier who denies personal culpability in a sad and sorry medical scandal in his province of Newfoundland. Where incorrect cancer tests were implicated in the deaths of women given incorrect diagnoses and unrelated protocols.

Appearing before a commission of enquiry into the dreadful debacle, and speaking before breast cancer patients, Danny Williams revealed an entirely other side. "We sincerely apologize and take full responsibility", said he. Is that, perchance, the royal 'we'? We, that is he, apologizes with sincerity, taking, in the process, full responsibility?

Can we take that to mean that he did not care sufficiently to exert his authority over the matter to straighten it out while there was yet time, more overtly engaged in his strident accusations against the federal government of withholding 'entitlements' from his province, than to give care to the vulnerable and the ill people of his province?

Apparently not, for despite that he mea culpaed "We will never be able to give you back what you have lost" (assuredly so, for it isn't given to modern man to restore lives taken by neglect), his humble patronizing at the feet of his constituents' grievances appears to have worked wonderfully well in his favour.

"I can assure these people it was not deliberate", he said feelingly, speaking of their suffering. Mr. Williams emphasized to the commission that he should have been informed, should have been given more information than had been the case. Obviously, the fault lies elsewhere than with him.

His staff, he avowed, never informed him of the issue. It wasn't seen, simply put, as an issue of grave moment..."This was considered to be a non-issue at the time", he said. "That's not for one minute to downplay the seriousness and importance of improper testing on patients and its effects on their lives" he backtracked.

How decently accommodating the man presents himself. No longer characterizing the enquiry questioning as a witch-hunt, complaining about the inquisitory style of the commission's lawyer. A distinct and deliberate effort made to demonstrate contrition.

"The fact I was not notified about this, in hindsight, I find this to be disappointing", he claimed. And who is it who gives definite orders to his staff about when and how and with what he should be apprised to ensure he is on top of his game? His staff, it can be safely assumed, does his bidding.

He spoke of the 'overwhelming volume' of all manner of items that come through his office during the course of a year. One must allocate priorities, after all, mustn't one? A fine line, he added, between what must be given sufficient importance to be brought to his attention and what should not be.

So convincing are the oily declamations of innocent and good intent on his part that he has managed to convince a hitherto-critical spokesman for the Canadian Cancer Society. Who is now full of praise for the premier: "He seemed to be very sincere and very straightforward in all his answers to all the questions that were posed to him."

It was, obviously, the health authorities who were guilty of trivializing the situation, to minimize its impact on the public's opinion, not Danny Williams. What a wily politician it is who instinctively knows how to play people off.

Making sincere motions of personal responsibility on the one hand, while deftly apportioning blame elsewhere. A bravo performance.