Contrary to popular belief, what's good for the goose is not always good for the gander. When Makiko Tanaka was ousted as foreign minister, tears helped crystallize a victim image that guarantees her political longevity. On the other hand, those of Muneo Suzuki, the main victim of Makiko's victimhood, helped shorten his road to political ruin, or so it's presumed.
Moreover, his weeping jag made him the butt of media jokes for an entire week. The crocodile tears that Suzuki shed during his March 15 speech, in which he withdrew from the LDP for crimes against intelligence, were cynically analyzed on every TV news show, with experts brought in to comment on the Hokkaido pol's acting skills ("Usually when the voice breaks, it's five seconds before the first tear descends . . . watch, here it comes . . .").
Suzuki is not new to the crying game. In campaign speeches that emphasize his up-from-the-farm gumption, he always chokes up when talking about how his father sold his horse to help pay for Muneo's college education. What he fails to mention is that part of the family business was raising horses.
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