A Third Rate Crank Call

Blaming a young party worker for this, is a) typical of Canada's Nixon and b) like pinning Watergate on Donald Segretti.

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Has Anyone Else Noticed

That the only leader looking sweaty and desperate so far, is our very own reincarnation of Richard Nixon? The rest of them look relaxed and look to be having a good time. Not having to lie your ass off every second, of every minute, of every day, has that effect on people.

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Soon Come The Color Codes

Tories warn of renewed 'coalition risk'. I swear these guys can't make a move without looking at the Republican Handbook. Inferring that coalition=terrorist attack is sadly, becoming just another day in Washington Ottawa.

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The Last Refuge Of A Sociopath

Shorter Harper: Dearest men and women in uniform. If you remember nothing else from your time in uniform, remember this. Only the Republican Party Conservative Party loves you and understands you. Conservatives and the military are two parts of one organic unit, like the brain and arm of a single body. So, even though no one in the opposition parties has even hinted you were involved with torture, they have accused us of turning a blind eye. And in accusing us, they are accusing you. It is that simple. So remember. Conservatives. Body. Love. Opposition. Traitors. Hate.

H/t to Impolitical.

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How Big Is Stephen Harper's Ego?

Massive.

Here is his what he had to say about his news watching habits:

"I watched the last several elections in the United States very closely. I tend to watch mainly American news, because I don't like to watch Canadian news and hear what Allan (Gregg) and everybody else is saying about me. So my hobby is to watch politics elsewhere,"

Because, you know, Canadian news and Canadian politics is all about Him. This quote confirms my impression of the PM. The man has a paper-thin skin to go along with that world-consuming ego. Anyone who would stop watching Canadian news, in order to avoid hearing what Allan Gregg (of all people) has to say about him, is someone who needs some counseling.

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Ah, But The Strawberries

Yes he talks like Nixon, but I think Harper is entering the Queeg stage of his madness.

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Manning As The New Face Of Science In Canada

What do I think of Preston Manning's appointment? I think it is another example of what Wells was talking about the other day. I think Harper expects to be criticized by "eggheads" and "Toronto types", so he can send out yet another letter to the base about how the "elites" hate Conservatives.

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Bernier Is Still Small Cheese

I know the whole country is seized with Bumbling Bernier, but the bigger story is still NAFTAgate. If what James Travers wrote yesterday is true, this government deliberately leaked a memo to the son of a Republican congressman, with the aim of interfering in the internal politics of a U.S. election. That is way bigger than leaving briefing notes on a ex-girlfriend's coffee table. We are into Watergate territory here. If I was Psycho Steve, I would be looking for a nice country property in France. He would be better off living offshore for a while.

Update: The Sensenbrenner story has hit the Daily Kos. Gee, I wonder if any Democrats read that thing? Harper had better be sure his partner works overtime on behalf of McCain this fall. I suspect Obama will hold a grudge.

Update 2: I guess the Dems have noticed. Question: Why is Harper still in Europe?

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Credibility Gap

It would easier to believe Mr. Harper's denial if he hadn't been so categorical that there was never a "Mad Max" problem in first place. In fact, now that he says that there were no "bugs", I am inclined to believe there were in fact, "bugs".

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Maybe I Misjudged Him

Maybe Stephen Harper is really a teacher. Maybe he is being true to his libertarian roots, by teaching Canadians what a fascist dictatorship would look like, in an effort to get them to reject the "idea" of government altogether. Or, maybe he is just a control freak who hates anyone who disagrees with him. At this point, who really cares?

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The Real Central Question

A Tory official in today's Star:

Conservative officials scoffed at suggestions extra spending by the national campaign might have made the difference in a dozen or so ridings and helped the party win the election.

"The fundamental question here is this: who has the right to determine how a party electorally advertises itself?" said one.

"I believe I have the right to determine that if I wanted to use Stephen Harper and the central message to advertise regionally, I should be allowed to do that ... "

The Conservative Party believes this, but that is not relevant. The Parliament of Canada passed a law which put limits on party spending during elections and made Elections Canada the judge of how parties spend their money. The only thing to be determined here is whether or not the Conservative Party broke that duly passed law. The real central question in this case is whether the Conservative Party feels bound by law? If the answer to that question is no, that the party does not feel obligated to follow the laws passed by Parliament, then we must conclude we do not have a legitimate government at the moment.

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Mr. Wells Speaks

We listen. I agree with every word.

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I Knew Harper Was An Economist

But who knew he was so economical with the truth? Paul Wells points us in the direction of Greg Weston, who provides us with another example of Mr. Harper denying the existence of a deal -- until reality (and the courts) forced the issue.

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The Circle Of Life

The Richard Nixonization of Psycho Steve is almost complete. We have a paranoid, and in my opinion, psychotic group running the government, who are bound and determined to root out and destroy their enemies, both foreign and more importantly, domestic. Now that their domestic enemies have started to strike back through the only means available to them, i.e. by leaking like crazy, can the plumbers be far behind?

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Shhh, Hear That? It's A Cover Up Unraveling

The Tories are, as we say, toast. To cover up the knowledge of torture, for almost a year is pretty shocking. To hide it from a federal judge will almost certainly make that judge cranky. To hide it from the Canadian people, on the correct assumption that it would make an extension of the mission virtually impossible, will make their re-election prospects murky at best. This news should free Dion from the Iggy/Rae, however. How can Dion negotiate with Harper, knowing that Harper will lie and conceal vital information from him? Harper is a swine who deserves unemployment. To Mr. Dion and the Liberal Party I say bring this parliament to an end. Bring on an election. We need a purging.

Update: To any Tories out there who might be tempted to snark. Remember, these are the "good guys", in whose name we fight. If the "good guys" are just "bad guys" with better suits, then we have no business fighting for them.

Update 2: The flying damage control squad that is the Harper government, quickly assessed its position and realized it needed something special. So, it uncrated the Chief of Defence Staff and sent him out to meet reporters this morning. I don't know what they promised Rick, but he was all charm and smiles and claimed to have been so drunk (I believe he said he was on a beach and on his third rum and coke) that he didn't care what Sandra Buckler had to say. He also was at his emotionally blackmailing best when he framed Afghanistan as coming down to having to look at the mums and dads who have lost their soldier-children and tell them that their babies did not die in vain. That we might have to look them in the eye and tell them that they died for a regime that tortures people, did not come up.

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Has Harper Jumped The Shark?

John Ivison asks this morning. He also adds:

But does anyone seriously think Mr. Harper emerges from the isotope screw-up looking more competent or trustworthy?

The answer to the first question is yes and to the second, no. This whole Keen firing stems from Harper's unscripted remark in the House about her being a Liberal. From that moment on her fate was sealed. What has transpired since then has been an attempt by the government to justify Harper's remarks, even going so far as to fire Keen, with the certain knowledge that Canadian taxpayers will have to pick up the tab for any lawsuit.

The opposition, if it is smart, will use this case as a prime example of Harper's lack of leadership. It is painfully obvious to even a casual observer that Harper is completely out to sea, unless he has absolute and total control of every last contingency. If even one thing is not in his control, he is in big trouble.

His fights with the ethics commissioner, the head of the Wheat Board, the head of Elections Canada and now Linda Keen, all have one common thread: Harper can not deal with independent actors. He is completely unable to work with others if they are not meat puppets. If any outside actor does not toe his line, he attacks. How can a government be sustained when its head can't work with the bureaucracy? In the long run, the answer is, it can't. If the government's leader cannot work with and inspire the people who works for him, he will fail. Harper has consistently shown he can do neither and he too will fail. Harper is not a leader. He is obviously not up to the job.

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The Liberals Might Be Cowed

By stuff like this:

“Would the Liberal party for instance like me to launch an inquiry into Mr. [Jean] Chretien’s interests in various golf courses, and hotels, and the actions of the federal Business Development Bank? Would the Liberal party like me to have an inquiry on Canada Steamship Lines [Paul Martin’s family company] and decisions that may or may not have been made by the Department of Finance?”

“I think this is very dangerous and I talk about things that occurred while these individuals were in office, not while they were private citizens.”

But, I am not. Go ahead. Find out anything you can. It goes to show what kind of man we have as PM when he implies wrong doing on other people's part to deter them from asking too many uncomfortable questions about someone else ("Nice Party you have here. Too bad if the RCMP came after it, eh?"). Maybe next he will send Revenue Canada after members of the Liberal Party. Then his transformation into Richard Nixon will be complete.

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