Where's the Adult in the Room? (UPDATED)

"He's going to have to take action that he thinks is appropriate for the city of Toronto - that's his responsibility," said Wynne.

That's a line being echoed by politicians across the city, province and even at the national level.  Rob Ford needs to get help.  We can't do anything while City Hall falls apart but gosh, if only Rob does the right thing, the situation will stop spiralling.

Who honestly thinks that the Mayor is capable of making sound choices at this point?  If he can't - what does his intransigence do to the constituents of all three levels of government that live in Canada's Biggest City and an economic hub?

By focusing on Ford, the politician, there is far too much neglect on the environment he finds himself.  While everyone latches on to the crack-smoking and slurs of the formerly alleged video, Ford apparently also says "I'm supposed to be this great Right..." - leader?  Icon?  Holier-than-though figurehead?  What image is Rob Ford holding himself up to and not measuring up to, suffering from the internal turmoil this failure brings?  Doug Ford, Senior?

Ford is clearly out of his league and responding the way anyone who sees quitting as a weakness would - by buckling under the strain and turning to abusive behaviours for release.  Everyone knows it, everyone sees it; some even make suggestions to the man he kinda maybe should do something - but there are no real consequences if he doesn't, are there?

Throughout his Mayoralty, he's been enabled by his closest peers and touted as the beachhead for a new conservative movement.  The Prime Minister, who Ford clearly idolizes, have given him the time of day when convenient - and backed away when it wasn't.

Politics is full of fair-weather friends but because he's such a polarizing figure, Ford has more than most.  They're there, then they're gone, then they're back again once the latest political storm has been weathered.

Then there are his enemies, people who see him as a cancer to be removed, rather than as a human being in desperate need of someone, anyone to step in and give him permission to step back.  The sorts of solutions to The Ford Problem I'm hearing discussed on the street are alarming, to say the least, and have no place in a democratic environment.  But then we don't live in a democratic environment.

Worst of all, there is Doug Ford, the manipulative big brother with ambitions that are bigger than his sibling.  It's Doug that carries the name of their father; it's Doug who is elder, Doug who seems less apt to fall apart when things get tough.  Rob idolizes Doug; if there was anyone in Ford's life who could truly take Rob by the shoulders and make him face reality, it would be his big brother - but that doesn't appear to fit into his plans, does it?

Rob Ford is in a trap with, in his mind, no way out.  To admit defeat is to admit weakness, to let his enemies win, to give up on his agenda, to let down the legacy of his dad and to disappoint his big brother.  He can possibly weather this storm, too, but the Good Ship Ford has taken a beating - how long can it possibly hold up?  His enemies are against him, his enablers tell him to pay no heed - meanwhile, Ford the man is starting to crack.

By wringing their hands about the consequences to Toronto - but not so much that they're willing to risk personal electoral risks should they intervene - political leaders at all levels are washing their hands of responsibility. 

Sorry, folks, but blood doesn't clean off that easily.

Yes, addicts need to cross the threshold from denial into acceptance and submission, but having nobody who cares about him intervene in a frank, non-judgemental way makes that next to impossible.  Meanwhile, Rome burns as Nero fiddles.

It's time one of these "the buck stops here" leaders actually puts the public good before partisan fortunes and takes the risk of doing the right thing.

If they're truly leaders, then their own fortunes shouldn't be a priority.  Leadership is about obsolesce, which is achieved through empowerment.  Empowerment requires trust, engagement and patience, but it also means facing the tough truths and redirecting when necessary.

Someone has to step above the fray and be the adult in the room.  That's the leadership we want, and Rob Ford needs.

I'm not holding my breath that anyone will step up before it's too late, at which point it'll be a very different conversation we'll be having.

If only his Father were here, eh?

UPDATED: "I don't think the guy should step down.  I think he deserves like any other person in any other profession, an opportunity to restore their professional status, but first take any time necessary to get the disease treated."

As true for the Mayor as it is for Canadian democracy as a whole, I'd say.

And at the root of both, funny enough, is mental health.