With friends like this...

Hugh Segal, long-time "red" Tory and Conservative party loyalist, even thought the Conservative party just ain't what it used to be, who was appointed to the Senate by the outgoing Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin, has been booted out of a job.

"Privately, Liberals speculated that Segal had been on the outs with the Conservative leadership over different positions he had taken. For example, Segal's committee put out a highly critical report last week on the government's aid strategy in Africa.

He also recently urged his government to investigate the treatment and the demands of terror suspects being held at Millhaven penitentiary in Kingston, Ont. And during debate on the Federal Accountability Act, Harper's marquee legislation, Segal voted against the government on one of the measures."

It couldn't possibly be because Segal disagrees with some of Our Great Leaders policies, could it? Nooooo...surely not. Harper isn't a petty, vindictive, control freak.

Hold on a minute.

Oh, yeah - he is.