Some Liberals Put Martin On Probation

They say the first steps must include restoring some stalwarts from Jean Chretien's era to his cabinet and dumping some of his most trusted advisers who are widely blamed for prolonging the civil war with the former prime minister's loyalists and squandering a 30-point lead in the polls. "I would think people are watching (Martin's leadership) with a jaundiced eye right now," Oakville MP Bonnie Brown said in an interview. "He inherited a government at 50 per cent (support) . . . and took us to the brink (of defeat)." Brown said Martin needs to return to "the nice guy he once was" before his leadership rivalry with Chretien boiled over four years ago. And she urged him to turf "at least half" of his tightly-knit, inner circle of advisers and replace them with "people who are peacemakers, consensus builders . . .not rigid zealots." http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=news_home&articleID=1660460