What do you suppose it is like to be Michael Ignatieff right now? Gosh, he must really think the good Lord has it out for him. In 2006, as a stylish liberal intellectual with a star reputation in Europe, he rolled up his sleeves and ran for the Commons seat in Etobicoke — Lakeshore. His ultimate ambitions were no secret, but he thought he had better learn the ropes first, get yelled at on a few doorsteps and absorb the sights and scents of an actual Canadian neighbourhood. In 2009, the suffering Liberals turned to him as a new leader and anointed saviour, with other dignitaries flinging themselves out of his path to make way.