Biblio Bibuli

I thought it was pretty damning of Harper too & I'm a Conservative supporter. He may not have held office at the time, but he has always been a politician & policy wonk, so it's not like he hadn't studied the issues until recently. He can't use the "I was a private citizen" excuse like Michael Ignatieff could. Or his even lamer one ... "it was a joke". Not funny Steven. If this was widely read in Ontario I think we might just as well crown Martin, and get ready to elect a new leader of the Opposition.

Good observations. I kept awake through the whole thing too. My god could it have been more boring? My thought is that the 50% of the people who don't bother to lug themselves out to vote weren't watching & the half of us who do already know the various party's positions on everything. We were looking for a little entertainment & checking to see who could think on their feet. Martin was surprisingly good ... I half expected him to go into goofy mode, but he actually appeared rather Prime Ministerial. He kind of went nuts with his multicultural vision for 30 years from now ... he was looking rather maniacal at one point & I didn't like him referring to BC as the Asia Pacific Coast. Hey ... it's Canada out here, not China. Harper was his usual dour self. "It's every parent's duty to love their children & I love mine". Duty? I did like his unPC "Merry Christmas" instead of the chorus of "Happy Holidays" though. Layton was Layton ... telling us about his blind great Grandfather (did you know his grandfather Gilbert founded the CNIB? Living right beside a huge blind school in Montreal too. Guess it was a tribute to his Dad), his lesbian friends & dead neighbors. As you said ... a nice folksy kinda guy. Pleading for a few more seats. Gilles, as usual, was the best debater. In French or English ... he always comes off very well. His command of the issues is excellent, his language terrific & his manner pleasant. God ... I'm glad you say the format will be different in January ... I'm not sure if I can take the 2 hour long four-way commercial again tomorrow.

I don't know if you know this but Michael Ignatieff is not just some slug. The Liberals parachuted him into a Toronto riding not only as a "star candidate" but as a "superstar candidate" (read Liberal leader/PM in waiting). All this time fully aware of his pro-torture, pro-Iraq, pro-missile defence shield stance. Did you know that that guy was quoted as saying that "Canada could be more valuable broken up than intact."? I like this one: ... "If you oppose America, you pay."

Whoever pointed out that speech to The Canadian Press did it on condition that he won't be identified. My guess is that it was Stephen Harper himself who pointed them towards it. And now Stephen can't wait for Martin to start using that speech against him so he can bring out a big arsenal of quotes by the Liberals' star candidate, Michael Ignatieff, that make his 1997 speech look like child's play. That's strictly a guess, though.

I hope the name wasn't misspelled, and that that was "Steven" Harper's speech. I hope they catch the guy that changed it to "Stephen". And I hope that the Toronto Star rag is in big trouble too. Hope is all we have.

But we ARE spreading rumors. Martin is spreading rumors that we are doing something about climate change, while the American's are not. Said Mr. Wilkins: "The United States is, in fact, reducing emissions and spending more money on tackling climate change than any other country in the world, having spent over 20 billion dollars in the last five years. I would respectfully submit to you that when it comes to a 'global conscience,' the United States is walking the walk." Soooo, did WE spend over 2 billion dollars in the last five years? Is it true that we are spewing 24% more shit into the atmospere then we did at the time of signing onto Koyoto while the US only increased by 12%? I'm ashamed.

I'm not so sure that Canada isn't creeping up on France with it's anti-Americanism, trying to wrest away the title. After Freedom Fries can Democracy Bacon & Capitalist Dry be far behind? They already call the French "Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys" & Canadians "Cheese Heads". I'm seeing a dairy inspired connection starting & it's not pretty.

There is plenty of evidence that the PM's complaints about the U.S. stir up anti-American feelings amongst Canucks. Wouldn't the Yanks do likewise when their President complains about us? Of course they would, don't be ridiculous.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...me=election2006 """ "Just think about this: What if one of our best friends criticized you directly and incorrectly almost relentlessly? What if that friend's agenda was to highlight your perceived flaws while avoiding mentioning your successes? What if that friend demanded respect but offered little in return?" Wilkins asked. "Wouldn't that begin to sow the seeds of doubt in your mind about the strength of the friendship?" """

"""Ambassador David Wilkins' unprecedented, mid-campaign sortie drew an immediate, flag-waving riposte from Martin...""" By the time that the Americans are finished with him, he'll be waving a white flag .... and Stephen will be on the throne, snug as a bug in a rug.

Or daddy and mommy could decide to enjoy a couple of extra cigarettes a day. If that's the case, an extra beer or a couple of extra cigarettes, most of that money will then end up back in the government's coffers. That wouldn't be the case in the U.S. where beer and cigarettes are cheap!

Do you find Mark Steyn or Ann Coulter's sarcasm "difficult to understand"? Do we have a humorless Liberal sneaking amongst us? Or gasp ... an NDPer?

"One sword keeps another in the sheath." - George Herbert (not Bush)

Note to Stephen: "Physician heal thyself butterball".

When I kindly provided the article here (straight off the presses).... Black Dog replied with: "That article reads like a piece from the Liberal campaign office." But now that Harper himself has brought attention to it, I think BD might have been wrong. Harper WANTS us all to see that Washington Times article. Why?

I agree, FTA! It's preposterous having to enroll my 7 foot tall kid in a hockey or figure skating club, if I want to take adventage of Harper's $500 tax credit, just because there is no basketball club for kids where I live. Although ... she WOULD look impressive doing tripple axels and such. In Richmond BC where the average child's height is under 5 feet tall I can see lots of ping-pong and jockey sports clubs spreading.

Why? If you look at the actual link (not the text displayed) you will see they are two different URLs:http: //washingtontimes.com/commentary/20051201-081526-4938r.htm http: //washingtontimes.com/commentary/2005...81526-4938r.htm <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Neither one of yours works!

Check this out : http://www.mapleleafweb.com/forums/index.p...t=0entry81490

I'm stunned!

http://washingtontimes.com/commentary/2005...81526-4938r.htm The same URLs with different results. THAT'S AMAZING !!!!

Here's what Stephen Harper is replying to: Gift from Canada? By Patrick Basham December 2, 2005 Why does President Bush hope Christmas comes a little late this year? Because on Jan. 23, Canada may elect the most pro-American leader in the Western world. Free-market economist Stephen Harper, leader of the opposition Conservative Party, is pro-free trade, pro-Iraq war, anti-Kyoto, and socially conservative. Move over Tony Blair: If elected, Mr. Harper will quickly become Mr. Bush's new best friend internationally and the poster boy for his ideal foreign leader. Both north and south of the U.S.-Canada border, this vote matters. Canadians are facing an election that may be the closest in a generation. The first opinion poll of the campaign, a new CanWest News Service/Global News survey by Ipsos Reid, finds Prime Minister Paul Martin's center-left Liberal Party tied with Harper's Conservatives at 31 percent support each. Over the cold, wintry eight-week campaign, there is everything to play for on both sides of the partisan and ideological divide. If Martin's Liberal Party is re-elected for the fourth consecutive time, Canadian taxpayers will continue footing the bill for an expensive welfare state epitomized by its archaic government-run health-care system. Social policy experimentation on issues such as drugs and homosexual rights will continue in an incremental but decidedly progressive direction. What will happen if Mr. Harper's Conservatives win? Most important, Canada will have its first leader in living memory who actually believes Big Government is a real problem. A Prime Minister Harper may not be able to pass all the legislation he wants, but he would push to cut taxes and spending and the regulatory burden on Canada's business sector. The Liberals count on their overblown reputation for sound economic stewardship over the last decade to carry them across finish line in first place. In addition, a close race will undoubtedly feature much negative advertising. This pretty much guarantees the Liberals will use the nationalism card against the Conservatives. In practice, this means crude anti-American rhetoric to appeal to undecided electors of the vote-rich province of Ontario -- the same voters who decided the last election, 17 months ago, following a Liberal campaign that successfully tarred Mr. Harper as "too pro-American." The Conservatives, meanwhile, could benefit from a growing public sense that, 12 years after the reins last changed hands, it may be time for a change. This sentiment has been reinforced by the recent judicial investigation into a corruption scandal surrounding the Liberal Party's past funding of pro-Liberal advertising agencies in Quebec. Though the judicial report did not implicate Mr. Martin, it documented kickbacks among federal Liberal politicians, senior federal bureaucrats and advertising agency heads, thereby tarnishing the legacy of former Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Mr. Martin's predecessor. The findings also have irreparably harmed the Liberals' short-term prospects in Quebec, a shake-up that has proven a boon to the separatist movement in the populous and predominantly French-speaking province. Though still a young man in political terms, Stephen Harper may not receive a better opportunity to gain power and to steer Canada in a more conservative direction. If he and his fellow Conservatives can seize this opportunity to recast the policy debate, it will reveal a great deal about the evolving nature of Canadian political culture. A Harper victory may prove to be the exception to the international rule -- a rare foreign event that manages to put a smile on President George W. Bush's face. Patrick Basham is senior fellow in the Center for Representative Government at the Cato Institute.

http://washingtontimes.com/commentary/2005...81526-4938r.htm Click the link above to read what Stephen Harper is replying to.

I seriously doubt that a large number of Americans give even a passing thought to Canadian attitudes. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Not so long ago that same large number of Americans wouldn't give a passing thought to the idea that Canada is (AFTER exchange) a more expensive place to visit than anywhere else at home (including Hawaii). Today? Today they pretty much all know that this is an undeniable fact. Americans are patient, but they are not stupid.

I fell asleap on Ratzinger. I went with that Brazilian entry, what's his name .... but once I saw that GWB and two or three OTHER ex-US Presidents attended JP II's funeral, and seeing how Joseph was soooo up front and centre there, I too was ready to switch my bet, had I found a site that I could trust. My bet on Bush was easy. I made that through my old school pal who still happens to live in the old country and who regularly bets on all kinds of sports at " tipsport.cz . " And if tipsport.cz carried the upcoming Canadian election today I would ask my school buddy, Jerry, to wager AT LEAST $500 on Harper in an instant. I KNOW he is going to win!