Frum Defends Harper's Senate Appointments

I have criticized journalists being appointed to the Senate but I'm not upset about Harper going back on his word have elections for the vacant 18 seats. Neither does David Frum in today's National Post:

Following Stéphane Dion's attempt to take power via a clandestine deal, Harper and the Conservatives had every reason to fear that their two years of principled self-denial would profit only their opponents. Senate-watchers expect another 11 vacancies to open in the next 12 month. How would Dion have filled those 29 seats total -- that is, after paying his debt toElizabeth May?

So Harper acted. He acted as almost every prime minister before him has acted, following some of the most ancient traditions of Canadian politics.

If we don't like those actions (and I suspect that few like them less than Harper himself), blame the traditions -- not the man who was thwarted in his every attempt to repair and improve the traditions.