“I can’t. I’d love to, but I can’t. That’ll be a career-limiting move, as we would say.”
-Lisa Raitt, on tape

Speaking of career-limiting moves, the Rait tape is now public.

There’s a good lesson for all you political staffers out there, in that you should never accidentally audio tape private conversations with your boss. And, if you do accidentally audio tape private conversations with your boss, you shouldn’t leave the tape recorder in a House of Commons washroom. And, if you do accidentally audio tape private conversations with your boss and leave the tape recorder in a House of Commons washroom, you should get the tape back before, well, this happens.

Reading the transcripts, the rumours about Raitt’s feud with the Minister of Health seem overblown. She calls Aglukkaq a “capable woman”, then muses that she might be having some trouble adjusting to cut throat Ottawa politics. I’ve heard Cabinet Ministers say far far worse things than that about their colleagues, so there really isn’t a story here, other than the fact that Leona Aglukkaq is apparently the Minister of Health.

No, the damning audio clip in this is certainly Raitt calling the isotope shortage a “sexy” issue. Again, I’d wager 90% of MPs have said far worse in private at some point in their careers but, on the heels of Gerry Ritz’ listeriosis comedy routine, it certainly doesn’t make the Harper government seem overly compassionate.

But Ritz survived, and his transgression showed a much larger lack of judgement since it happened on a conference call, on ministerial business, rather than during a casual chat with an aide. So it seems likely that Harper will stand by Raitt on this one.

But regardless of whether or not Raitt keeps her Cabinet post, a rising star in the Conservative Cabinet has been seriously bruised by this week-long fiasco. Which has got to suck for the Tories, given how thin on talent their front benches are looking these days.