Globe political columnist John Ibbitson takes a look at the current life and times of Paul Martin, and wonders why this man who started with such high expectations is fighting to keep his job as prime minister.

An excerpt:

Some say he is not sleeping well. Others report the temper tantrums are getting worse. He drinks massive quantities of coffee. Some of the people around him are beginning to worry about his health.

But you'd be crazy to count him out.

Paul Martin's senior advisers, angry at having lost control of the political agenda, are determined to get it back. They didn't ask for the election that is being thrust upon them, but they are confident that they can win it.

Maybe they will. But the fact remains that the Liberals are struggling with more than the ever-spreading fallout from the sponsorship scandal. They must also fight a growing impression that the government is adrift, its agenda frustrated by a minority Parliament and by a Prime Minister who wanted to take on everything and ended up achieving very little.

Mr. Martin's supporters maintain that the impression is deeply unfair, that the Liberal track record is impressive, given the circumstances, and that the government's agenda remains focused and on track.

They say it is the media, and not the public, who are asking the question: So whatever happened to Paul Martin?