Dion resigns

Shit.

Here

comes

the

Ffeitangi

Party

"I don't know Stephane Dion all that well."

Really? But well enough to have featured him on your CPoC website for the past two years. And it's not like you didn't check out the Liberal website.... every friggin' day. Seems to me you and your snub-convention wrecking crew launched a lawsuit based on something you saw on on that very website.

Are you trying to tell us, Steve, that you and your minions didn't scour that entire site for every bit of information you could possibly extract?

I'm calling bullshit!

Now go read Impolitical. Go now.

They would give you another Walkerton

Via Steve V, Stephane Dion leveled one very clear charge against the Conservatives and their plan to let the Canadian food industry inspect themselves. And he linked the one watershed disaster, Walkerton, with those who slashed government services in Ontario which helped precipitate that event. (Emphasis mine)

A leaked government proposal to give the food industry a greater role in the inspection process is backed by the same Conservative politicians responsible for Ontario's Walkerton water tragedy, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion charged Thursday. [...]

"These are the same people – Mr. Flaherty, Mr. Baird, Mr. Clement – who are responsible [for] what happened in Walkerton, who privatized [Ontario's] propane inspection, and they want to do something equivalent about food inspections, which is at the core of what the government should do," he said.

"This very conservative government does not understand what is at the core of the responsibility of a government in a society."

No they don't. And as the voters of Ontario learned during the Harris years, big tax cuts translate into big cuts in essential services.

More at Impolitical

Soap Star stevie . . . .

Our illustrious(?) Prime Minister appears to be taunting the illustrious(?) Leader of the Liberal Party into an early election.

From today's Globe and Mail:

Harper mulling whether to call election
THE CANADIAN PRESS August 19, 2008

HAMILTON, Ont. — Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he will spend the “next few weeks” contemplating whether to call an election.

Mr. Harper, in Hamilton for a health-care funding announcement, said Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion is balking at toppling the minority Conservatives because he's worried about the polls.

_______________


Mr. Harper said he will spend the next few weeks analyzing the situation and determining whether the Tories can have a productive fall session of Parliament.

_______________


"The next election has not been scheduled until October of 2009 and — who knows? — Mr. Dion may wish to wait longer than that," Mr. Harper said at a barbecue to kick off a two-day swing through Southern Ontario.

"I have to say this has really become quite a soap opera."

Well now, stevie.

Even though you obviously have the wardrobe for one, we can't quite call this situation a soap opera, can we?

At least in a soap opera, the viewers (public) can vote with their pocket book and switch your dog-and-pony show off.

With you in the PM's office, you pretty much have carte blanche to single-handedly destroy Canada's image around the world and annihilate our values.

Even All My Children doesn't have that much power . . . .

(Cross-posted from Moved to Vancouver)

Immigration Policy, Dion & Confidence . . . .

As a "newbie" Canadian I am finding it more and more difficult to understand the Opposition's role in federal government.

From todays Globe and Mail:

Dion blasts Tories' immigration proposals

GLORIA GALLOWAY - April 1, 2008

OTTAWA — Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion blasted the Conservative government yesterday over proposed immigration changes that he says will tell many hopeful immigrants they simply “need not apply.”

But Prime Minister Stephen Harper taunted the Liberals for panning legislation they will ultimately have to support if they want to stave off an election. And he said his government is merely trying to deal with a massive backlog of potential immigrants who wait years to fill necessary jobs.

“It is unfair to immigrants, unfair to Canada,” Mr. Harper said. “That is why it is a confidence measure. That is why it is a part of the budget and we appreciate the support of the Liberals to that goal.”

Mr. Dion does not dispute the fact that he and his party may, once again, find themselves backing away from a fight rather than taking on Mr. Harper in an election campaign.

Instead, he said, the Liberals could allow the measures to pass and then try to undo them if they eventually regain office.

“Each time that we vote against something without triggering an election, it's a marker,” he said. “That means that when we will be the government with the help of Canadians, we'll change these bad policies by much better policies.” (Emphasis mine - Ed.)

Personally, a "marker" doesn't seem to change the status quo. Isn't it about time the Liberals actually performed like an opposition party and joined with the Bloc and NDP to bring down the Tory government? What am I missing here?

(While we're on the topic of Canadian politics: What's with the parties arbitrarily appointing someone to run for office in a riding even if they don't reside there? I can't quite grasp that practise, either. But I digress . . . . )

Statistics available on Immigration Canada's own website show that 50 per cent of all applications from skilled workers are processed within 36 months. In the Americas, 80 per cent of all applications from hopeful immigrants are processed in a little over two years.

Other government statistics show that the queues are concentrated in a small number of places. Someone who currently applies to immigrate to Canada from New Delhi will wait 12.8 years. In Manila, the wait is 11.9 years, and in Bogota the wait is 16.5 years.

But those processing times are far above average.

Someone applying to permanently enter Canada from Warsaw or Buffalo, for instance, will have to wait just 1.8 years.

As someone who recently gained Permanent Resident status I find it intriguing that Dion and Company may use this topic to lay down a "marker".

Should be quite interesting to follow this one to the end result.

Let's see if concrete actions match the political rhetoric . . . .

(Cross-posted from Moving to Vancouver)

A message for the members of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition

Corrected and updated. And again.

Do your goddamned job!

Yesterday's display during the vote on second reading of the POS Unborn Victim of Crime Act was reprehensible.

I usually have to hold my nose when I vote but yesterday's performance by the Opposition has made the prospect of selection an even more odious task.

The fact that Stephane Dion was absent for the vote is even more disgusting when we find out where he was and what he was doing?

Red Tory and JJ have the complete list of miscreant misogynists and... oh! Looky here! Names, email addresses and phone numbers of Liberal MPs who should endure a political execution at the next election.

Let's repeat the names of Liberal members who think incremental legislation sneaked in through a back-bencher's bill, with the full approval of Harper, is a good idea:

Raymond Bonin; John Cannis; Hon. Raymond Chan; Hon. Roy Cullen; Sukh Dhaliwal; Hon. Albina Guarnieri; Hon. Charles Hubbard; Hon. Jim Karygiannis Derek Lee; Hon. Lawrence MacAulay; Hon. Gurbax Malhi; Hon. John McKay; Hon. Joe McGuire; Hon. Dan McTeague; Hon. Shawn Murphy; Massimo Pacetti; Francis Scarpaleggia; Hon. Raymond Simard; Lloyd St. Amand; Paul Steckle; Paul Szabo; Hon. Robert Thibault; Alan Tonks; Roger Valley; Tom Wappel; Borys Wrzesnewskyj; John Maloney.

And then there are those who were just plain too busy to answer the division bells because some of them were celebrating International Womens Week! (Yeah... if you're going to put one in between the ribs, you might as well give it a twist.)

Stéphane Dion; Bryon Wilfert; Joe Volpe; Scott Simms; Nancy Karetak-Lindell; Hon. Mark Eyking; Ujjal Dosanjh; Denis Coderre; Brenda Chamberlain; Gerry Byrne.

It's only proper to point out that the NDP came out of this splattered in shit. Meet Peter Stoffer, who voted with the Conservatives.

After that dismal performance what do they come up with next?

This.

Liberals will attempt to turn the tables Thursday on rival parties who've ridiculed them for being afraid of toppling the minority Conservative government.

They'll introduce a motion condemning the NDP and Bloc Quebecois for defeating the previous Grit government in November 2005, thereby enabling Stephen Harper's Tories to win power.

Well, that's just jaw-dropping amazing. I'll bet they all show up for that one. I have a better idea. All of you go to the pub, order a table-full of beer and weep in it. It'll have the same effect. But wait. There's a real killer line in The Star's article today:

The motion slams the Harper government for setting back women's equality rights by cancelling such Liberal measures as the Court Challenges Program and a national child care program.

Wow! That sends a real message, doesn't it? You passed up a chance to kick them in the nuts and choose to throw spitballs instead.

What a bunch of fucking cartoons.

Tell them what you think of them.

Corrections: The above lists have been corrected for accuracy. Thanks to Jennifer in comments.

Correction II: Commenter Ferd pointed out that Nancy Karetak-Lindell, who was absent from the vote was likely caught in an Arctic blizzard and could not have been in Ottawa.

Harper claims libel

Isn't this amazing!

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has filed a libel lawsuit against Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion and the Liberal Party of Canada over the Chuck Cadman affair.

The Liberals have asked for a criminal investigation amid allegations that the Conservatives, under then Opposition Leader Harper, offered a financial incentive to Cadman, an Independent MP before his death in 2005, to sway his vote in a crucial Commons showdown that year.

Cadman's widow, Dona, now a Conservative candidate running in Surrey North in B.C., says the incentive was a $1-million life-insurance policy, and she considered it a bribe.

Cadman sided with the Liberals in the vote, and kept then Prime Minister Paul Martin in office for a few more months.

None of the allegations, which are contained in a soon-to-be-released book, has been proven.

So, to get this straight, Harper and his party of smear have just engaged out-of-date laws as a means of shutting down the debate. The politics got too hot for Harper so his only defense is to make himself the victim. (Notice of libel from Harper's lawyers. PDF)

What you can expect now is that when questioned about the Cadman affair, Harper's only answer will be that the case is "before the courts" and he can't comment on it.

Strange how the Conservatives forget the use of Parliamentary Privilege when they can't use it. Say Alan Riddell as many times as you can without puking.

To quote Ken Chapman back in May of 2007, this is the Conservatives employing tactics "somewhere between Monty Python and the Sopranos".

Update: Pretty Shaved Ape weighs in. Bruce is fed up. Nottawa exposes a disturbing Harper habit. Steve V sees a cornered animal. Scott points out the weakness in Harper's claim. Zorpheous invokes Batman. Robert sees a Conservative pattern.

He blinked!

Harper blinked first.

It seems Harper's confidence motion was, again, a lot of bluster. He doesn't want to fight an election on Afghanistan after all.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has unveiled a new motion with a hard end date of 2011 for Canada's military mission in Afghanistan, a move aimed at bridging the gap between the Conservatives and Liberals.

Harper said the motion will incorporate "large elements" of last week's Liberal amendment of the Conservative party's original motion.

"We've examined the details of [the Liberals'] position very carefully," said Harper. "We are pleased that there is some fundamental common ground."

The motion says all Canadian troops will be out of the volatile Kandahar region by December 2011, six months later than called for by Stéphane Dion's Liberals.

Of course, none of this happens in a vacuum. There is something else going on which might add to this whole picture. I'll try to get it posted later on.

The game's afoot

Harper appears ready to drop a glove... er, a writ to get his way over the Afghanistan mission.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has warned Liberal Leader Stephane Dion that the Conservative government is prepared to go to the electorate as early as next week to seek a mandate to extend the military mission in Afghanistan, CTV News has learned.

Harper met Dion for 25 minutes in his Centre Block office on Tuesday to discuss the Manley panel recommendations on Afghanistan.

[...]

Sources say Harper told the Liberal leader the government will give notice on Thursday to present a confidence motion on extending the military mission in Afghanistan. That motion could be debated and possibly voted on as early as next week.

The government could fall if the Liberals do not support it, since the NDP and Bloc Quebecois are against Canada's extension of the NATO mission.

If Harper is so adamant that the extension of the Afghanistan mission, in its present form, is something that should be debated now, then one has to ask if he already has the 1000 additional troops in his pocket. Or is this another Harper "emergency" being played from the hypothetical?

It may be that he's counting on a fractured Liberal caucus. That may not work either since Dion has made it bluntly clear that if there is a vote it will be whipped. There will be no dissenters this time.

And this isn't the first time Harper has played the "confidence vote" game. Last year it was every issue down to conservative toe-nail trimming.

Helena Guergis. Bloody-minded bitch.

If Helena Guergis has any form of security clearance for anything more sensitive than UNCLAS it should be removed immediately. Not tomorrow afternoon. It should be gone by morning. Via Impolitical, this excerpt from CBC:

The two politicians also toured a forward operating base in the Zhari region, where Canadian Forces soldiers are training their Afghan counterparts to fight the Taliban.

It was known they had travelled to Kabul, but the details of their trip to southern Afghanistan and their visit to the base were kept secret to protect them from attack.

But Helena Guergis, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, revealed in a Saturday statement criticizing Dion that he would be visiting the Canadian unit called the provincial reconstruction team, or PRT.

Inadvertent slip on Guergis' part?

I. Fucking. Doubt. It.

After she's been stripped of anything resembling a security clearance she should be dismissed from government. Period.

She is a national security risk.

And the next time some Conservative Party fuckwad starts to rattle on about how long it's taken for anyone other than a Conservative cabinet minister on a photo op to get to Afghanistan, they might want to survey the number of times they have gone out of their way to prevent members of the opposition from making such trips.

I kind of like people who carry backpacks

Far be it from me to ever defend a politician. I have little use for any of them regardless of their political stripe.

However, of late, I have noticed that there seems to be some kind of dyslogistic attachment made to the fact that Stephane Dion carries a backpack to work. Somehow, the idea that a man would carry a backpack is portrayed in a negative sense. It has, in a rather odd way, been used to demonstrate a form of pacifism associated with eccentricity.

That's odd.

Some of my oldest friends wore backpacks to work. Here's a very well-known and famous photograph of some of them, backpacks and all. Some might have been a little eccentric, but they were hardly pacifists.







Photo: Petty Officer Peter Holdgate, RN

Peace, pot, and the pettifogging Cons

You'll never guess what this is. Eugene found it.
It's a page at the Conservative Party of Canada website.
So if you are searching for info on the governing party of Canada, this is what you will find right below a picture of Prime Minister Stephen Harper : "Peace, Pot, Protectionism, and Parking Tickets".
It's a page slagging Dion for having anything to do with another party leader who would dare to countenance such outrageous ideas as peace, legalizing pot, and pulling out of the SPP and NAFTA.

Oh you silly Cons. You so don't want to go there.
Now that you are the no-longer-gnu-governing party, you need to be promoting your own ideas.

Here. Just this once I'll turn this one around for you so it's more about you :


Now isn't that better?
Sorry I couldn't fit anything into it this time about you guys and parking it.
Hope this one will do :

Cross-posted at Creekside

Happy turkey day!

I would have given Elizabeth May, Gilles Duceppe and Jack Layton some space in this one too. Hell, everyone needs a souse-chef and someone to do veggie prep.

But what else can I add? Zorpheous has done it again. Anyone who lives by the DCIEM diving tables deserves credit.

Oh yeah. The DCIEM dive tables are the global standard. It's "world stage" kind of stuff. Didn't kill anybody and came along before Harper was out of his political diapers.

By Zorpheous

When putting lipstick on a pig, get the shade right

When Stephen Taylor's (founder of the Blogging Tories, Conservative Party deep-throat and unrepentant Steve Harper cheerleader) post describing Harper and his family as "ordinary" first came to my attention at TBBYL, I read it whilst shaking my head. There was so much wrong with it that I honestly did not know where to begin.

This morning, while re-reading the thing I was distracted by the howls of laughter emanating from the spousal unit, (who retains her family surname), as she too began to shake her head. Being less aware of Taylor's anointed presence in the world she broke through her own mirth to utter, "What a fool!"

Maybe he is; Maybe he isn't. I don't know the guy.

I had initially dismissed Taylor's post as unworthy of further reading as he wrote:

The Harpers are the First Family of Canada

No. They're not. That is an Americanism which is has no place in the Canadian political lexicon.

If such a distinction existed in this country, based on its use in the United States, it would fall on the occupants of 1 Sussex Drive; not the transient residents of 24 Sussex Drive. Harper is not the Head of State; Michaelle Jean is.

As I tried to prod the equal partner across the room into a feminist outburst the laughter grew stronger and she focused on one line of Taylor's post:

Mrs. Harper used to be Laureen Teskey before she famously stated "call me Mrs. Harper" after moving into 24 Sussex.

I don't know Teskey either. But the person with whom I always consult on matters feminist couldn't find a positive aspect to Teskey's abrupt change of surname.

Was the change voluntary, or was it precipitated on the belief that the conservative voting base was so socially conservative that they could not accept such a display of independence? That would indicate spousal subjugation which no amount of Harley horsepower will diminish.

Or, is Teskey a greater opportunist than just someone participating in an act of political paint? If she really believed that Harper was the appropriate surname for her, why did she wait for 13 years? Did she need proof of Harper's ability to gain high office before she would openly commit to the optics of a traditional conservative, nuclear family?

We don't know, but Taylor's praise of the event, which took place immediately after taking up occupancy in the official residence of the Prime Minister, demonstrates his adherence to a patriarchy which a solid number of ordinary Canadian women revile.

At the time there were other mutterings, not the least of which ended with the words, straw-feminist. Teskey's announced name change did gain her a label: hypocrite.

What makes it even more hysterical is that Taylor admits to knowing the timing of the name change and cannot see the hypocrisy of the act.

Taylor's focus on Janine Krieber's accomplishments and her position in the Dion-Krieber marriage attracted a snort of derision from at least one female I know. The fact that Dion would apparently consult with his well-educated, well-respected spouse on matters in which she is considered an expert is something Taylor quite unsuccessfully attempts to portray as a weakness.

Despite the fact that prime ministerial spouses have no active role in government, one could expect that there would be occasions when both spouses discuss work, ideas, politics, social issues and the like over a common, private table. That's typical in a majority of households. It's ordinary. Krieber brings to that common table an insight into international peace and security, defence, counter-terrorism and political sociology. She has an affiliation with the Canadian Forces which most prime ministers, including Harper, cannot claim. But Taylor's suggestion should cause the occasional eyebrow to lift.

Is he suggesting a strong leader doesn't listen to opinions and suggestions? Even from his wife? It indicates Taylor has a poor grasp of leadership but it goes further than that. His portrayal or, more correctly, his visualization, is that Dion accepts information from his spouse on weighty matters for which she is able to provide an educated point of view; Harper does not.

Real leaders seek out differing opinions and ideas from as many sources as possible; poor leaders make up their mind without consultation and then pay lip-service to advisers.

Taylor ended his post with:

Can the Liberals make Dion an ordinary guy? Or is "ordinary" an inherent trait possessed by people like the Harpers (and a large number of Canadians).

Ahhh... right out of the notebook of Karl Rove. That was the selling of George W Bush to the American voter. An ordinary guy. Someone you could sit down and have a beer with. Likes to watch sports on TV on a Sunday afternoon. Family man with a dutiful wife, two kids and a couple of dogs. Academically mediocre thus making the "C" average a mark of distinction.

A definition of ordinary is:

Not exceptional in any way especially in quality or ability or size or degree.

That accurately describes Bush at his best and look at the mess he allowed to be created. Taylor is suggesting that Harper and his handlers are emulating that portrayal as the best means to garner votes from average Canadians. As though Harper is just this "plug away at the job without attracting attention" type of guy, with a dutiful wife engaged in socially acceptable volunteer work, two kids and a room full of cats. A hockey fan who likes soldiers, cops, firemen and dog-catchers.

Camouflage for the fact that Harper is, in truth, an opinionated, nasty, self-serving, narcissistic, opportunistic, squalus. And that's OK, but why try to hide it?

Taylor's post should have ended there, but then he posted an update. That got the laughter going on the other side of the room again. In an attempt to distance himself from his own comments he only made matters worse.

The best part was the bell-curve graph, origins of which and data sources not credited, in an attempt to qualify and quantify his position. Except that the graph doesn't do anything except provide a visual of his opinion. The "lots and lots of votes" metric at the bottom is either a play to the lowest common denominator of his audience or a demonstration of the lack of sophistication in elementary graph making. (I would have used something like "primary voting block", but that's just me.)

Benjamin Disraeli would probably curl up in hysterics and then famously pronounce, There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.

But since we're tossing around statistics centered on "ordinary" and "average" it should be recognized that statistically virtually every Canadian has one testicle and one mammary gland.

Most of us however, quite thankfully, are extraordinary in that sense.

*******

For more on this, head on over to Cerberus where Ted has a great post and is doing an extraordinary job of keeping up on the many others who have addressed this subject.

Canadian Taxpayers Federation CPoC Hackery

Buckdog takes a bite out of the ass of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation as a result of this press release:

“Do You Think It’s Easy to Hail a Cab?”
Access to Information documents obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) reveal that Stéphane Dion’s chauffeur billed taxpayers $14,225 for Montreal hotel and travel expenses. In addition, documents show during the 2005 Kyoto conference in Montreal, Mr. Dion opted to lodge at a hotel at a cost of $5,548, even though he maintains a residence in Montreal where he is the Member of Parliament for Saint-Laurent–Cartierville.

I don't know. Is it? Why doesn't the Canadian Taxpayers Federation check with Heritage Minister, Bev Oda? (Michael Savage MP, Dartmouth-Cole Harbour) (Emphasis mine)

Last year Halifax was delighted to host the Juno's. In fact, Nova Scotia is one of the cultural capitals of Canada. We were delighted to have the Juno's for a number of reasons, one of which was the economic boom that it brought to Halifax. Taxpayers, however, were not aware of the extent to which the heritage minister contributed to that economic boom by the use of taxpayers' dollars.

I have the bill for the limo services that were used by the minister while she was in Halifax. It is interesting to note that she arrived on March 31 and left on April 3. On March 31, two different limousines were required. In fact, one was a mini-van and one was a limo. Apparently the mini-van was not good enough and the limo was requested. It took two orders to get her into the Delta Barrington.

Later that day she had another limo from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for three hours. That evening she required a stretch limo from 4:30 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. It was on standby, meaning it was not even used. It was just sitting there being charged to taxpayers while she was doing other stuff, some of which could have been business, some of which could have been personal.

On April 1 a sedan limo from 9:45 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. was used for seven hours. Most of that time the limo was on standby. Later that evening, a stretch limo was required from 5:30 p.m. until 11 p.m., with a half hour break, and then another limo from 11:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. That was hospitality night, and the minister should go to some of those.

The hotel the minister stayed at, the Delta Barrington, is exactly one-tenth of one kilometre from where the Juno's took place. The hospitalities were all in the same general area as well. The Economy Shoe Shop is a great place and one that I would recommend to many members for the artichoke dip. It is a great spot. It is where CTV had the big bash. Did the minister really need 7.5 hours of stretch limo on standby while she was inside the Economy Shoe Shop, which is less than one-tenth of one kilometre from the Metro Centre? The Metro Centre and the hotel also happen to be connected by pedway and underground tunnel. It seems a little excessive.

The next day she used a stretch limo. The day after the Juno's it says here that a stretch limo was on standby from 12 noon until 5:30 p.m. That evening, two sedan limos were required for standby for the red carpet walk event. So even when she walked, she needed limousines. It boggles the mind. After the Juno's a stretch limo was required from 11:30 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. The next morning a stretch limo took her out to the airport.

The total bill for limousines for the approximately three days that the heritage minister was in Halifax was $5,475, of which she repaid $2,000, leaving $1,000 a day for stretch limos to the taxpayer. [...] Why did the minister break Treasury Board guidelines, try to hide her expenses, and not post them on the website?

I have no problem with tax watchdogs taking a swipe at any politician for sticking their snouts too deep into the trough... provided all politicians are subject to the same scrutiny. If you type Bev Oda's name into a search at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation website it returns absolutely nothing. Zippo. Nada!

As Buckdog points out, Conservative cabinet minister and general slimeball Jason Kenney is the former president and CEO of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, a so-called non-partisan group.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation: taking Conservative Party hackery to a whole new level.

BACKFIRE!

Via Far and Wide and Scott's DiaTribes comes a Decima Research poll which proves how out of touch with Canadians the Conservatives really are:

A new poll suggests Canadians are not impressed by Conservative party TV ads that attempt to discredit new Liberal Leader Stephane Dion.

The survey by Decima Research found that 38 per cent of respondents -- out of a sample of more than 1,000 -- recalled seeing the attack ads.

But among the 388 Canadians who remember watching the unusual, non-election-period political advertising, 59 per cent said the ads were not fair in how they described Dion. Only 22 per cent felt the ads were fair.

Fully two thirds of the respondents said the information in the ads was not relevant to their choice in the next federal election, compared with 26 per cent who said it was relevant.

And, yes, that would be a bust in the advertising and marketing world. But it's really a lot more than that. While both Steve V and Scott have excellent points, my take is a little different.

Jason Kenney's attempt to run a game on Dion, one which would require the full approval of Harper, was something which most Canadian political strategists, given the timing, would have rejected. If Harper and Kenney really understood the minds and sensitivities of Canadians generally, they would have known that the results would have cast them and not their opponent in a bad light.

Canadians generally don't like political attack ads during an election campaign. It should have been manifestly obvious that most Canadians would find Kenney's vitriolic tactic both distasteful and outside the bounds of propriety and fair-play. And therein lies my point.

That Harper and Kenney clearly did not know how their little strategy would play out with Canadians and did not restrain themselves shows how far out of touch they are with the Canadian psyche.

Running an attempted attack campaign outside of an election might have worked in some other countries. It has all the earmarks of a Frank Luntz/Karl Rove style maneuver. It was a very US Republican move which should tell us all where the Harperites are buying their political advice.

Dion suggests Harper is... fat!

Stephane Dion gave Global TV reporter Hannah Boudreau a tour of Stornoway essentially to point out how energy inefficient the residence of the leader of HM Loyal Opposition actually is. During the interview Dion was asked about the Harper government Conservative party "attack ads".

He shrugged them off stating that such behaviour wasn't his style.

So be it. But then he pointed out that he and his wife had converted a bedroom into an exercise room and that the next occupant, perhaps Harper, would find some use for it. He then went on to suggest Harper "could lose his overweight problem" with the new exercise room.

Heh!

The video is at Global National. Scroll down to Inside Stephane Dion's Home. (You will have to get through the annoying commercial.)