Certainly, the defiance of Jean Chretien this week towards Justice John Gomery’s report and his coming court challenge will put Ottawa on alert and will definitely underscore the huge rift that is only continuing to widen in the Liberal party between the so-called Chretien and Martin camps.

If there is one common theme underneath all of the headlines this week in Ottawa, it is that we’ll soon witness the second major battle of the Liberal civil war.

Prime Minister Paul Martin will face a leadership challenge after the next election except in the quite unlikely scenario that he forms a majority government. We’ll see the Chretienites and the Martinites take their sides on their respective left and right flanks in a brutal battle that will eventually either rip the party apart or prop up some sap that will continue to oversee the war.

The conservatives in this country were ripped apart about 20 years ago over policy, principle and a deficiency in the regional balance of power. Now, as the Liberals potentially face the wilderness, their party faces division over corruption, lawsuits and the flagellation of personal ego.