The front runner for Finance Minister under Ignatieff.

John McCallum speaking at the AGM of the Liberal riding association of Windsor-Tecumseh was asked what type of car he drives. His response: McCallum stammered for several seconds before responding: “I drive a North American-made car.” Asked to be more specific, he responded: “I drive a General Motors car.” Asked again to be more specific, he said it was “a Chevrolet.”

Question asked, question answered. Or was it?

Within a couple of hours of answering the simple question about what type of car he drives McCallum phoned The Star to retreat from those comments, offering this explanation in a voicemail: “I said the wrong thing without thinking. The fact of the matter is that I do not own a North American-made car.” He followed with an e-mail sent from his Blackberry that said: “To confirm message I left on your voicemail, to clarify, I do not own a North American made vehicle.” McCallum never divulged what kind of car he owns.

Well one might think that being caught in a lie like this could be detrimental to ones political career, that may not be the way it works in the Liberal Party of Canada led by Michael Ignatieff who on the very same day denied that he had said "We will have to raise taxes" at a Cambridge Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting on the 14th.

This should put McCallum into the front runner position for Finance Minister in an Ignatieff led government where emulating the leader will get you further ahead than telling the truth.

H/T BBS & BLY