海角大神

To say it hasn鈥檛 been a very good few weeks for Toronto Mayor Rob Ford would be an understatement. Wednesday鈥檚 City Council hearing didn鈥檛 help any.

By turns combative, apologetic and even befuddling, Mr. Ford faced off with councilors livid both about his admission that he smoked crack cocaine while in office and his insistence on staying on as head of Canada鈥檚 largest city. He also for the first time admitted he had purchased illegal drugs.

鈥淭his has been the worst week of my life,鈥� Ford said before the council鈥檚 packed chambers at a hearing televised nationally by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Even before Wednesday鈥檚 hearing, Ford鈥檚 saga 鈥� dubbed 鈥淭he Greatest Political Train Wreck of Our Time鈥� by the national news magazine 鈥� had captivated not only Toronto but much of Canada. The 44-year-old one-time aspiring football player and member of a highly successful family packaging and labeling business had gained renown both for blunt remarks as city councilor and his push for lower taxes and less regulation.

In 2010, Ford swept to victory in the mayoral election, brandishing campaign slogans like 鈥渟top the gravy train鈥� and 鈥渞espect the taxpayer鈥� to garner support from more conservative suburban voters alienated by what some perceive to be

Most Torontonians were long aware of Ford鈥檚 eyebrow-raising 鈥攁ppearing drunk at a Maple Leafs hockey game or saying that bicyclists had only themselves to blame if they were killed by cars 鈥� but in May, the Toronto Star newspaper and another media outlet reported a video had surfaced that showed Ford smoking crack cocaine. Since then, the steady drip of reports has turned into a flood, culminating in Ford鈥檚 admission Nov. 5 to reporters that he had indeed smoked the drug, but had done it 鈥減robably in one of my drunken stupors.鈥�

He also vowed to stay in office, angering many who felt the admission was the last straw: 鈥淚 was elected to do a job and that鈥檚 exactly what I鈥檓 going to continue doing. On Oct. 27 of 2014, I want the people of this great city to decide whether they want Rob Ford to be their mayor.鈥�

鈥淗is mayoralty has been an experiment in what would happen if you had a feral 16-year-old boy for mayor,鈥� Canadian novelist Stephen Marche wrote in an op-piece Nov. 6.

For many, what鈥檚 even more astonishing than Ford鈥檚 admissions is the fact that his popularity has remained virtually unchanged. of 1,157 Toronto voters taken the day after his admission found his approval rating unchanged at 44 percent since the middle of October, as well as the percentage who say he should resign. The survey, by Forum Research, had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

In an interview with CNN, Ford鈥檚 brother, Doug, himself a city councilor and a staunch defender of his brother, insisted Mayor Ford was getting counseling鈥� though he didn鈥檛 say what for 鈥� as well as going on a diet and working out

鈥淗e鈥檚 taking the right steps, moving forward,鈥� Doug Ford said. 鈥淭his man has apologized profusely, the rest is purely political... If the election was held tomorrow, there鈥檚 an extremely, extremely good chance of winning and that鈥檚 what they鈥檙e worried about."

As hundreds of people the square in front of City Hall Wednesday, Ford sounded remorseful at times, saying he had used and purchased illegal drugs in the past, but said it was caused by 鈥渟heer stupidity,鈥� not by stress.

鈥淚 understand the embarrassment that I鈥檝e caused every resident in this city,鈥� Ford . 鈥淚鈥檓 humiliated by it but I can鈥檛 change the past.鈥�

Thirty of the council鈥檚 44 members have sought a resolution calling on Ford to take a leave of absence, but it would be non-binding since only provincial officials could force Ford to step aside. Last week, Ontario Municipal Affairs Minister Linda Jeffrey said the province had no plans to amend any laws to force Ford from office, and the controversy surrounding Ford as 鈥渆xtreme, certainly, from a public-attention perspective.鈥�

Ford has not been charged with any crime, though Toronto city police have investigated a close associate.

If there was any good news to be had for Ford this week, it came on Tuesday when thousands lined up outside City Hall to buy 鈥溾�� dolls bearing his likeness, with proceeds going to charity. 聽

By Wednesday, the 鈥淩obbie Bobbie鈥� dolls, which sold out in hours, were being hawked on eBay for hundreds of dollars.