Pubdate: Sat, 05 Nov 2005 Source: Montreal Gazette (CN QU) Copyright: 2005 The Gazette, a division of Southam Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/274 Author: D.R. Gooch NOBODY CARES ABOUT BOISCLAIR'S COKE Don Macpherson's Nov. 2 column ("Cocaine questions hard to kick"), along with other media comments about how Andre Boisclair's past drug use "won't go away," would be silly if they weren't bordering on irresponsible. The media can thank themselves for perpetuating the discussion, and are playing to the desperation of Boisclair's opponents in the process. This is Quebec. We are not the conservative zealots of other provinces and countries. And Boisclair's success to date - despite the cocaine admissions - are evidence that Quebecers are more concerned with getting a Parti Quebecois leader with fresh ideas and some vision. Boisclair already has told us what we need to know. Macpherson might care about the details (Did Boisclair take cocaine in a toilet in Old Montreal in July 1995 with a waiter or was it on a coffee table in Sherbrooke in December 1994 with a bank teller?) but I certainly don't. Other than a few reporters, I don't think anybody else will, either. D.R. Gooch Montreal - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman