A Bob Rae coronation as leader would be a mistake for the Liberals, and Jean Chretien

Former prime minister Jean Chretien is actively promoting Bob Rae for interim leader of the Liberal party, reports suggest.

The Chretien/Rae relationship goes back many years. Rae's brother John ran Chretien's two leadership campaigns and was a key adviser to Chretien in the Prime Minister's Office.

In his autobiography, "My Years as Prime Minister" Chretien is quoted as saying, "The Raes were almost family to me."

While Rae's effect on the party could be limited in the short-term, CBC News contends some Liberals view the push to name Rae interim leader as a ploy to ensure he'll become the permanent leader.

"He could gain such an unfair advantage in the interim post that prospective leadership rivals would simply bow out — a ploy used successfully by Ignatieff in 2008 to squeeze out his rivals, including Rae."

The coronation of Bob Rae as Liberal leader would be a mistake for several reasons:

He's too old

Geoffrey Stevens, a political analyst and former managing editor of The Globe and Mail, told Yahoo! Canada News Rae isn't young enough for the demanding job.

Indeed, at 62, there would be some challenges over the next four years. For the party to rebuild, it needs a younger, more energetic and more engaging figure at the helm.

He won't be able to retain or attract 'Blue Liberals'

Susan Delacourt, a writer with the Toronto Star, notes some would argue Rae's NDP background makes him "unable to attract the blue, business Liberals that the party needs to reclaim in its rebuilding effort."

In the same line of thought, he wouldn't be able to attract 'red' Tories either.

Rae doesn't help the Liberals create their own identity

If the Liberals don't want to merge with the NDP, then anointing a former provincial NDP member and former NDP premier as their leader doesn't help them differentiate from Jack Layton's party.

Rae comes with a lot of baggage

Rae has a tarnished legacy as premier of Ontario, whether it's fair or not. He's still unpopular in many regions of Canada's largest province.

Licia Corbella, of the Calgary Herald, wrote, "If (Rae is installed as leader), the Liberals can kiss Ontario goodbye as a base of support, since Rae is still vividly remembered as being nothing short of a disaster as premier."

(CBC Photo)