When the big wigs at the core of the Federal Liberals election machine sat down in March to give birth to a campaign strategy, they agreed on one thing showcase Paul Martin and play down the party.

"Peiti Jean" from Shawanigan had left the Liberals with scandals galore and numerous warts and wounds in his wake.

So the plan was to brand Martin and a 3-P strategy ? programs, policies and Paul.

Abandoning any political astuteness and believing his personal popularity numbers will overcome, Martin called the elections heralding it as "the most important in history."

Today as we near the mid-point of the election campaign, Martin's 3-P strategy has become a road show of poor performance, poll panic and party politicking.

So far the Liberal election campaign,instead of being important looks like the most impotent in history.

Across Canada, Martins' Liberals are on the wane, running in second or third place as an unforgiving electorate with a massive Chretien hangover looks for someone new to say "I am Canadian."

Paul Martin at a recent political rally

If the numbers hold, the west will become a Liberal wasteland leading to the formation of a minority government for the first time in 25 years - which is an optimistic outlook for Martin or very possibly an end to 11-years of Grit rule - which at this juncture is the more likely scenario.

So how did Martin, who desperately wanted to be prime minister for years, go from hero to zero within months of his coronation Why is he getting hammered like a fencepost in the polls Why are many who credited him with putting Canada's fiscal house in order now viewing him with distrust

Miscalculation, a lack of political savvy and anemic excuses by the man in charge of the purse strings after some $100 million went to Liberal-friendly ad agencies without any accountability, are just some of the reasons on a growing list.

Add that to the increasing unpopularity of the Liberal governments of B.C. and Ontario and you have voting lynch mob looking for Grit blood of any kind.

Martin gambled on the fact that he could distance himself from the Chretien-era of corruption, scandal and arrogance. So far that has been a losing bet.

In B.C., where the Liberals stand at third place, with 29 per cent, behind the NDP's 30 per cent and well behind Conservatives who have 37 per cent, Martin displayed astonishing Ottawa-centric arrogance to an already cynical electorate.

He "screwed" Vancouver-area businessman Tony Kuo, who worked for more than a year to win the Liberal nomination in Burnaby-Douglas by appointing Bill Cunningham, president of the B.C. wing of the federal Liberals as the local candidate.

Using strong-arm tactics and violating his promise of addressing the democratic deficit, Martin showed little regard for local politics by parachuting his so-called Dream Team of NDP turncoat Ujjal Dosanjh into Vancouver South, trouble-shooting CEO David Emerson into Vancouver-Kingsway, Health Canada bureaucrat Shirley Chan into Vancouver East and union boss Dave Haggard into New Westminster-Coquitlam.

In the wake of this "we know what's best for you" debacle are accusations of racism and broken personal promises, the doling out of patronage appointments to those who stepped aside and the ugly reaffirmation that Martin and his cronies will run the country with no regard for the locals.

Even the two big money promises by Martin -- $9 billion for health care and $2 billion for municipalities from petrol taxes ? have not injected any change in the national mood of negativity against the Liberals.

While the Liberals try to get out of the political quagmire, Stephen Harper's newly-minted Conservatives and Jack Layton's NDP are reaping the rewards of a Canada that is looking for change.

Hockey-dad Harper, who hardly smiles for the camera has come across as composed, charismatic and controlled while Martin, not surprisingly, looks tired, tainted and trounced.

Layton seemed energized at the outset of the campaign but his talk of an inheritance tax, especially in B.C. where house prices are sky high, and musings about taking more money from your pocket, has got many thinking ? same old, same old.

So far, and deservedly, all the polls are showing remarkable gains by the Conservatives who are converting many while riding the crest of Liberal discontent.

If the Tories don't implode before E-day on June 28, Harper and his crew will change Canada's political landscape.

As for Martin, he is in dire need of a strong dose of political Viagra to cure the Liberal's electile dysfunction.