Saving the best for last?

One has to wonder how many other collegues Lisa Raitt dissed while babbling away to perhaps the most incompetent communications director in modern times.

Sources familiar with the five hours of audiotape obtained by a Halifax newspaper say Raitt suggests her colleague [Jim Prentice] is pandering to Alberta's oil sands.

Two sources say Raitt is heard speaking dismissively about the environment minister, and one says she refers specifically to policy that favours oil companies.

Now, that is likely a very accurate assessment of Prentice, but in the lager that comprises the hillbilly Harper government, one wouldn't expect to hear that from another cabinet member.

Even Harper party types are bracing themselves.

``This will be the gift that keeps on giving,'' was the sarcastic assessment from one government official.

``What else is on these five hours?''

Good question! Since the attempt to have the thing spiked was clearly centred on what somebody knew was damning or embarrassing statements, I'm wondering when we're going to hear the Raitt assessment of Harper.

And if you want to know why Lisa Raitt survives after leaving documents laying around, (which were over-classified by the paranoid Harper crowd), and then criticising collegues, well, in her case, she seems to have had her feet washed prior to demonstrating Conservative incompetence.

A mere eight months into her career as an elected politician, several are already touting her as a future leadership contender _ provided that she becomes fluent in French.

Right. Even though Harper isn't preparing a successor, Raitt qualifies when Harper suddenly realizes he's a mere mortal.

``Look, she's a competent minister, she's a woman, and she's from Ontario,'' [said a Conservative staffer].

``You don't throw her under the bus unless you absolutely have to. ... Do you really want to sacrifice a capable, female, Ontario cabinet minister unless you absolutely have to?''

We'll see.

The nastiest politician in this Canadian century can dish it out...

But he clearly can't take it.

This, from, of all people, Harper.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper stood unapologetic Tuesday, defended his embattled natural resources minister and dismissed the storm of opposition and public criticism of Lisa Raitt as "cheap politics."

[...]

"This minister has been working around the clock to make sure we get a greater supply of isotopes and make sure we have alternative options for our health-care patients in this country," Harper said.

"That is what the minister is doing. That is what this government is doing, not playing cheap politics."

Some view this as humour. Others recognize that Harper is incapable of humour. And most of us can't believe that Harper actually engaged in such blatant hypocrisy.

And after listening to Harper spin-doctor Kory Teneycke do his little bob and weave this morning on The Current, I still want to know who paid in the attempt to muzzle the Halifax Chronicle-Herald. If it's such cheap politics why was there such a rush to get an injuction preventing the release of the now famous recording?

Teneycke isn't to be believed. He stated that no government department was involved. This is the same piece of crap that introduced Harper Conservative Party attack ads at a media gathering and claimed that because he had taken a day of unpaid leave that he was not legally on the payroll of the Prime Minister's Office.

The turd plays fast and loose with technicalities.

So, the question is, which political torpedo was off the payroll yesterday to provide the Harperites with a technical denial of involvement?