To solve the Mike Duffy problem, Nigel Wright built the political backroom equivalent of a Rube Goldberg machine. There were a thousand points at which it could spin out of control, come apart and hurt people. In hindsight, the chances of his plan succeeding — a falsely contrite Mr. Duffy pays back the money and Mr. Wright reimburses him, with Canadians none the wiser — seem quite remote. And the disastrous cover-up attempt looks massively out of proportion to the original problem.