OTTAWA – In a campaign blunder, Michael Ignatieff was caught by surprise outside his Ottawa residence this morning dressed in a pair of stars and stripes boxer shorts.
The Liberal Party Leader had stepped out to retrieve his subscription copy of The New York Times when the incident occured.
Nearby reporters rushed to the scene, and an impromptu press conference broke out immediately in which Ignatieff tried to explain the gaffe.
“These–these are not my shorts” Ignatieff said. “I was just holding on to them for a friend.”
He later apologized, however, and admitted they were his only clean pair left. Due to his busy campaign schedule, he had not been able to keep up with his laundry.
Campaign party staff are worried the slip-up might hurt the struggling candidate’s chances during the polls tomorrow, and could jeopardize his ability to rally supporters on the last day before elections.
“I don’t know how this could have happened, said Maria Gander, one of Ignatieff’s personal image consultants. “So far in this campaign we’ve done nothing but scrutinize Ignatieff’s appearance. At every press meeting we always make sure he is prepared for handling difficult questions, dealing with contentious speakers, and that he is dressed in clothes.”
Ignatieff tried to explain the error by saying the shorts had been a gift from a good friend, which he kept only for sentimental reasons. He quickly invited journalists into his home to try to smooth things over and explain the matter more fully.
However, as soon as Ignatieff entered he started running frantically from room to room.
“He was just tearing down a lot of large Union Jack flags he had draped on his walls,” said Helene Anderson, a reporter for the Ottawa Citizen. “It was like he’d forgotten they were there when he asked us to enter.”
Ignatieff then took reporters to his kitchen where, in another blunder, he served Twinnings tea in collectible Royal Wedding mugs.
In a last effort to create a redeeming photo-op, Ignatieff continued the tour of his house to his bedroom, where he claimed he had “some really nice Group of Seven postcards” that he wanted to give everyone, which, upon arrival, he was unable to find.
“During the tour of his bedroom though, he also made an effort to stand in front of a wall containing a poster of [Boston Red Sox first baseman] Adrian Gonzalez,” added a reporter from CBC. “But his bedsheets with the [Boston] Bruin’s logo were clearly visible.”
Many feel that Ignatieff’s faux pas is equally damaging to his reputation as the time he mistakenly held a 2008 Liberal Party campaign rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
As of press time, Ignatieff was seen driving to an outlet mall in Buffalo, New York where he was planning to stock up on discount underwear.
with files by Amir Ahmed
