He didn’t say that. He couldn’t have. Nobody could be that stupid. Not even Jack Layton is that stupid.
h/t
(Oh, and in case you were wondering – I really don’t care what Afghans do with Taliban prisoners, and I suspect I hold the majority opinion on that subject.)

For what it’s worth…

A long time political observer recalls how the armies of the Moonbat King helped finish off a once proud Progressive Conservative party …

Don’t know if you ever heard just what a grasp he had on the PCs in his heyday — literally controlled the SK federal organization and, at a riding level, nearly every prov riding + a number in BC.
The Liberals here, even when in gov’t in Ottawa, are notoriously poorly organized, except for Ralph. It is not uncommon for S’toon Liberals to have only the executive members of a riding association and few, if any, other card carrying members. Even in the most hopeful of times for Liberals they don’t get many people out at an organizational level. The only exception in recent years was Patrick Wolfe vs. Jamie Miley in the S’toon Humboldt nomination and, even at that, I don’t know if they had 600 people at their nominating meeting.
The SK Liberals are ripe for the picking by Orchard, who I’m told can mobilize approx 20,000 Canadians at any given time.

Speculation swirls that Dion will bestow a riding nomination on Orchard for the next federal election. Let’s hope so.

Steve Janke;

Farhan Chak … is one of the newest members of Stephane Dion’s new Liberal Party and a supporter of Dion’s during the Liberal Party leadership race. His views on Stephen Harper and on the Western media and on Islamic fundamentalism make for interesting reading.

First Jim Curran, and now this;

“If this gets out, it could mean the end of the Liberal Party of Canada,” warned a local politico, requesting anonymity.
And what, pray tell, has the Grits so up in arms? It seems that when Stéphane Dion touched down in Winnipeg last month, he and his entourage popped by North End mega-icon Kelekis for lunch. There, Dion shocked locals and his handlers by eating Kelekis’s world-famous hot dog with — gasp! — a knife and fork.
“It conjured images of George on Seinfeld eating a Snickers bar the same way,” said another witness who, for obvious reasons, also asked not to be named.
Whether Stephen Harper’s Conservatives use Wienergate to their advantage — at press time there was no word whether they’d be rejigging their official slogan to read Getting Things Done (Without Utensils) — remains to be seen.

Looks like it’s going to be a long day at Liberal party headquarters.

Belinderella is leaving politics.
I’m shocked, I tell you.
(Others are disappointed…)

None of this comes as a surprise;

Dion’s dismal ratings as a potential PM are in league with those of John Turner, Stockwell Day and other great political leadership disasters of our time.
Perhaps even more to the (sword) point, Dion is now virtually tied with NDP leader Jack Layton as the voters’ choice for best prime minister.
It is certainly not news that from the day Dion won the Liberal leadership four months ago, his abysmal communications skills and lack of political toughness and have failed to inspire his own party, much less the Canadian electorate.
But as SES pollster Nik Nanos says: “Everyone knew the situation for Dion was bad — just not this bad.”

However, I’m not sure how seriously we should take his findings – further down in the column, Nanos inadvertantly reveals he didn’t follow the Liberal leadership convention.

As pollster Nanos points out, the Grits chose Dion leader, in large part, hoping they could “fix their brand in Quebec and re-engage Quebecers” with the Liberal party after the sponsorship fiasco.

Either that, or he’s fully engaged in rewriting history.
Dion was not “chosen” to do anything of the sort. Nor, as the Liberals have desperately tried to convince us, was he chosen because of grassroots concern over the environment. When the dust had settled, it was the refusal of Ignatieff’s people to support Rae, and Rae’s supporters to move to Ignatieff that left Dion positioned to take the “Anybody But” vote.
In a field where most of the potential leaders had taken a pass, Dion started as a second tier candidate for the same reason that cripples him now – he’s a follower, not a leader. He has a meter reader’s ability to inspire. And now that he faces pressure, he responds accordingly – he whines.
“Unfair”.
“Bully”.
These aren’t words used by those accustomed to winning their own battles. We recognize that, because we all went to grade school.
Dion lacks the temperament of men who seek to be the pointy end of the spear. Indeed, he finds spears to be distastefully American, their use unsustainable. Spears frighten, and are best regulated by the UN (other nation’s leaders).
The ordinary citizen may not follow politics closely, may even agree with his stated policies, but they recognize weakness in a heartbeat. It makes voters nervous, and for good reason – weak leaders make for weak nations.
The Liberals need look no further than their own internal feuds and vindictiveness to understand how it happened.

A room rented for a Scott Brison nomination meeting, or a box of Smarties?
First, a screenshot of this Gordon Delaney report for the Chronicle-Herald;

And as it was copied to Scott Brison’s website (Google cache);

A nice catch by Wolfville Watch.

Just got home from seeing this film. Highly recommended, and a visual treat.

Though, in a strange casting twist, the role of Nancy Pelosi was played by
a man.

Just don’t say it ain’t working for him.

Uh oh…

Pelosi, who met in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar Assad over the objections of US President George W. Bush, said she brought a message to Assad from Olmert saying that Israel was ready for peace talks.
“We were very pleased with the reassurances we received from the president [Assad] that he was ready to resume the peace process. He was ready to engage in negotiations for peace with Israel,” Pelosi said after meeting Assad.
She said the meeting with the Syrian leader “enabled us to communicate a message from Prime Minister Olmert that Israel was ready to engage in peace talks as well.”
According to officials in the Prime Minister’s Office, however, this was not what transpired during her meeting with Olmert.
The officials said Olmert had told Pelosi that he thought her trip to Damascus was a mistake, and that when she asked – nevertheless – whether he had a message for Assad, Olmert said Syria should first stop supporting terrorism and “act like a normal country,” and only then would Israel be willing to hold discussions.
The first part of that message, the officials said, was lost in what was reported from Damascus on Wednesday.

See also WaPo. They aren’t pleased.
In contrast to the coverage McCain’s visit to Iraq received, Pelosi receives much kinder treatment.

Assad’s been trying to play his empty “peace process” card for months, because he’s facing an international murder rap for killing Rafiq Hariri, and because he wants to put Lebanon back in his hip pocket. If he can get the Speaker of the House to play the dupe on his behalf, that works for him. In fact, just the footage of their meeting helps him, because it suggests that his isolation is ending. The EU has been frustrated with him, and the Arab League may have failed to close a deal with him on the paralysis of Beirut, and his Arab neighbors may have stopped trusting him long ago, but hey, he’s still got some people willing to try to help him out of a jam: Tehran, Hezbollah, and Nancy Pelosi. I mean, why should the US be content with merely pulling out of Iraq in defeat when it can kiss Syria’s butt as well?
So after Pelosi stopped talking, then what happened? All the stories that I’ve seen about Pelosi’s embarrassing amateurism are perfectly straightforward accounts of what she did and what she said, with a little underplayed regional context. Where’s the smartass coverage of Pelosi’s visit? Where are the telling juxtapositions? Where’s all the snark when we need it? I can’t find any of it.

h/t

Saskatchewan Conservative MP Andrew Scheer needs a few votes from opposition members to get this private member’s bill passed. While God knows that serious reform in the way youth offenders are dealt with would go a lot further in solving the problem, I think it’s a step in the right direction. At the moment, auto theft is considered a simple property theft, with penalties assigned according to value. That ignores the habit car thieves have of using stolen vehicles to commit other crimes.

The House of Commons will debate Andrew Scheer’s Private Member’s Bill to deal with car thefts. Bill C-343 is designed to create a specific offence for theft of a motor vehicle, toughen the sentences and impose mandatory minimums for repeat offenders. The Bill contains escalating penalties for first, second and subsequent offences.
Scheer says that he decided to deal with car thefts in his first Private Member’s Bill because it is an issue that affects his entire riding.
“There are towns in my riding with only a few hundred people that suffer from dozens of car thefts every year. Of course there are the problems that Regina faces with high levels of car theft as well,” Scheer said.
The Bill is supported by several stakeholder groups such as the Insurance Bureau of Canada and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.

If you live in a riding represented by an opposition member sympathetic to this issue (Winnipeg!), it might be worth your time to let them know what you think.
(You can reach the actual text of the bill at the link.)

Because every Democrat has his price!
h/t reader “Joe”.

Transcription of a portion of the “Strategy Session” From MIKE DUFFY LIVE, March 30th, 2007.
Scott Reid is the former Director of Communications for former Prime Minister Paul Martin.
Geoff Norquay was briefly Director of Communications for Stephen Harper when he was Leader of the Opposition. He was also a senior advisor to former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

Scott Reid, Liberal Strategist: I’ll tell you why after 13 years of retiring debt, balancing budgets, cutting taxes and investing in healthcare and education we’re not in government any longer is because the RCMP screwed us in the last election Geoff, and you know what? You guys should call, you guys should call an enquiry with real powers, because everyone is starting to wonder what it is this Conservative Government doesn’t want people to know about the RCMP. Something smells bad, something’s being hidden.
Mike, (Duffy) if you really want to know what’s going on, get on your drum as a media person, and ask them to put together a real inquiry-
Geoff Norquay, Conservative Strategist: SCOTT!!
Scott Reid: – with real powers of subpoena Geoff.
Geoff Norquay: Since all of this happened on your watch, I’ll just let all of that pass.
Scott Reid: How come you won’t let an independent inquiry, a judicial inquiry —
Geoff Norquay: —- There’s going to be an inquiry, Scott.
Scott Reid: No there’s not!
Geoff Norquay: There IS going to be an inquiry.
Scott Reid: Huh? You know what, Tim, (forgot it wasn’t Tim Powers he was talking to) it’s not an inquiry- it might as well be a book review. The guy isn’t going to have, whoever the person is, we don’t know, it may be Captain Kangaroo for all we know, will not have powers —-
Geoff Norquay: Oh, right, that’s very respectful Scott.
Scott Reid: — will not have powers of investigation, will not have powers of subpoena, will not have judicial authority. There IS a mechanism for a judicial inquiry, you guys have chosen not to do everything you could to get to the bottom of this, I gotta wonder WHY.
Geoff Norquay: Yeah, well, me too.
Scott Reid: Because there are answers that you don’t want dug-up, my friend.
Geoff Norquay: We weren’t in office Scott, it happened on your watch!
Scott Reid: What is going on with your relationship with the former Commissioner of the RCMP?
Geoff Norquay: WE FIRED HIM!
Scott Reid: Really? I don’t think so, that’s actually not what he says, but, in any event, you guys have not done everything you could to get answers to the tough questions. The first event that Steven Harper did the day after the election was with the Commissioner of the RCMP. Something is OFF. Geoff, you guys could do more, you’redoing less, there’s a reason why, you know it.
Geoff Norquay: That’s beneath contempt, Scott.
Scott Reid: Really?
Mike Duffy, CTV News: That’s got to be the final word; we’re out of time for this segment.

Brian Lemon liveblogged.
Lawrence Martin has a theory;

Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. You take care of my dirty laundry and I’ll take care of … For anyone searching for a theory on how the Mounties could have fallen into such disrepute, try that old survival formula. It’s been around since the beginning of time. It’s the way politics often works.
In the later Chrétien years, when allegations of corruption came to the surface, the prime minister, whether culpable or not, was in a position wherein he could well use a little help from his friends on the force. He was able — so the unproved theory goes — to get it. The Mounties allegedly compromised themselves and bent over backward to protect him; in turn, the Liberals were not about to go raining on any Redcoats’ ugly parade. Oversight fell by the wayside and the Mounties tumbled into further malfeasance, culminating this week with the pension plan mismanagement allegations of cover-ups, cronyism and scandal.
The Chrétien years had their upsides, but the downside featured the Business Development Bank fiasco, the sponsorship scandal, and other controversies related to grants and loans pouring into the prime minister’s Shawinigan riding. When Giuliano Zaccardelli became RCMP commissioner in 2000, many of the alleged misdeeds were coming to light.

SDA Flashback May, 2005: “Habamus Rodentum updates information on the hand that feeds the RCMP headquarters in Montreal and the federal tax centre in Shawinigan. Here’s a teaser – Liberal bagman Joe Morselli’s Buffet Trio, plus secret bank accounts and shredded invoices at the RCMP.”

More thoughts at Newsbeat1, and a reminder about the investigators who were “deep sixed” over the hastily buried Sidewinder report.
UPDATE – Steve Janke has his own theory on what’s behind Reid’s behavior. Check it out.

And what is it about this video they don’t want you to see?

Coming events, Liberal.ca

…

h/t Murray Wood
Sean in Saskatchewan (in the comments);

Speculation is that ol’ David Orchard will be announcing his candidacy for the Liberals in Wanuskewin at this press conference………….

Well, then. I can see now why they’d want to bury it under the Junos.
(link fixed)

From today’s luncheon address by Craig Westcott to the Newfoundland Ocean Industries Ass’n;

Chevron, the lead operator on Hebron, has all but pulled out of Newfoundland.
ExxonMobil, one of the other partners, has shuffled its checklist of projects, tucking Hebron/Ben Nevis back to 2010 or 2011 before it gets another look.
Hibernia South is on hold.
Even worse, grassroots exploration is at a near standstill.
We need millions of dollars worth of seismic work and exploration drilling every year to find the next big oil field, but we’re getting diddly.
It looks like Big Oil has given up on Newfoundland, at least for the time
being.
It appears the oil companies, which have projects all around the world they can chase and advance, are content to wait Williams out.
And if you look at our recent past history, that may seem like it makes sense.
Most premiers don’t last all that long.
Brian Tobin lasted four years. Roger Grimes two. Even Clyde Wells, the man of iron will who stared down the country over Meech Lake lasted just over six years.
Most premiers don’t last very long. The job burns you out.
But Danny Williams isn’t like most premiers.

It’s a gooder.
(h/t to reader “grithater”)

When the concept of “multiculturalism” was introduced to Canadians, most assumed it meant “more pavilions at Folkfest”.
Vijay Sappani has a warning for Stephane Dion;

This riding has a strong population of people from Bangladesh and Pakistan and they are active in the riding. The group that holds the key to the results will be the Tamil groups. We are going to put full resource to secure this seat. There is also a rumour/discussion about an appointment. The biggest issue is that an appointment for a female candidate will be seen as an move against Tamils. There is a possibility that M.Simson or someother female candidate might be appointed. They are all credible candidates and deserve an appointment.Do I have a problem with it? NO, but let Dion have a good answer when he is coming out to ask support from the Hindu and Tamil groups.
I have nothing to say about appointments and just that what I told Jim Goetz yesterday; Dion will become un popular if he decides to appoint against ethnic communities, especially the Tamils and Hindus. There is already some outcry about Dion and visible minorities. I agree Dion ‘won’ on his 1/3rd seats for women promise, but he cannot be seen being against visible minorities. The issue is that he is not against VM’s but he is seen that way and our joker friend Harper is a crapper who doesn’t care but has positioned himself as a supporter of visible minorities.
Long story short that I will repeat a zillion times; don’t take the visible minority votes for granted, I don’t speak for them but I am one of them and if you know me well, you know in what authority I’m saying this.

Mark Steyn;

The Liberals were reduced to Quebec’s first minority government since the 19th century, a new if somewhat goofy “conservative” party is the Official Opposition, and the Parti Quebecois – the separatists – were pushed into third place and below 30% for the first time since 1970. On the last point, I was struck by the politically correct torpor of much of the post-mortems : reams of analysis without any discussion of whether the PQ leader’s homosexuality had been a liability. Andre Boisclair was a fetching young gay who admitted to doing coke – not back in his student days (as David Cameron did) but while he was a government minister (which is certainly what it would take for me to get through Quebec cabinet meetings). But the minute the gay cokehead became party leader all the papers (French and English) wrote that this demonstrated how Quebecers were the coolest, most relaxed, most progressive folks in North America. Maybe on the island of Montreal, but not in the rural hinterlands, where Quebecers are prone to all the various “phobias” that so distress the liberal mind. I was struck by the number of lifelong separatists who simply resented being subject to Queer Eye For The Separatist Guy and, even by the standards of the ever lamer bluff of Quebec “nationalism”, couldn’t buy the idea of a gay hedonist as their founding father. There’s something a bit feeble about the media’s refusal even to discuss this except through vague evasive allusions to the difficulty M Boisclair had “connecting” with Quebec voters.

The buzz is getting louder…

Our latest weekend USA Today/Gallup poll is full of interesting insights into American public opinion. Tops among them may be the changing landscape of the Republican primary field.
Of course it’s early and much can change. But, as I noted here, that’s the point. We do not hold out that the candidates you see in the lead now are going to get their party’s nomination. But the process by which the candidates move up and down in the minds of their party faithful in correspondence to what’s happening in the real world is fascinating and important.
This most current poll of Republicans included in the list, for the first time, actor, lawyer and former Senator Fred Thompson. I’m not sure what voters may think about Thompson’s performance in The Hunt for Red October as the rather stilted Rear Admiral Joshua Painter. But he’s certainly creating a mini-stir of attention from rank and file Republicans. Thompson now gets getting 12% of the GOP vote. At the same time, Rudy Giuliani is down 13 points, and Mitt Romney has sunk from 8% to 3%.
Given that John McCain comes in at 22% — little changed — Thompson is suddenly in third place among Republicans.