betsy

That is not opportunism, my friend. That is just stating a fact.

What's the definition of "bail out," may I ask?

And the panic being created by the oppositions are causing people to take their money out! That's why it's going to make the situation worse for us than it really is! Not to mention causing the population unnecessary anxiety and stress! Talk about irresponsible self-serving reactions by the oppositions! Opportunism at its shameless core!

Yoo-hoooo, didn't you watch the news yesterday or the several talk shows where bank experts were interviewed? They all conceded that without the $25 billion our banks will still survive! Harper injected that money so small businesses and citizens will get loans without any hassles. Whether we like it or not, we are somehow affected by what's happening outside Canada. Do you know we stand to make money on the mortgages that Harper bought? He did not buy bad mortgages you know....

Those who support the Liberals should put partisanship aside in this election. They should face it, Dion is not a leader. Gracefully concede and throw their support on Harper, and just wait for their next leadership race. If they're honest about it, admit that Harper did not do badly as Prime Minister for the last two years. True that he may not represent their liberal values....but the situation happening around the world is scary right now. How can they risk the future of their children with something like the Green Shift is beyond me. Harper may be a bitter pill for them to swallow but at least they know what to expect from him. If Harper loses and one of the opposition wins, I'm betting our market will crash.

I am not an economist. Ask Harper. He has the answer! In fact he had already foreseen and acted on it MORE THAN 6 MONTHS AGO.Why do you think financial experts are saying we are not on the same boat as the USA? Why do you think our banks are not failing? The only reason our market is fluctuating is largely thanks to the oppositions who are creating panic in this country!

--- then it shows Harper is quick on his feet! And that's the kind of leader you need in the political arena of the world stage!

This might just be a simple "slip up" to you.....but if Dion becomes our prime minister, I hate to find us suddenly waking up to the realization that our Prime Minister had committed us to a verbal agreement to another war....or to giving foreign aid to England....or to selling the whole north to Russia....or to adopting the whole population of an island....just because of a simple mis-understanding or mis-communication.

It's simple. Dion does not have any specific economic plans to tackle the current situation. The Liberals are using his "hearing problem" as an attempt to deflect. He didn't seem to have any hearing problem at all during the debate. So what's all this sudden problem then? Especially when one of his staff had already explained to him what was being asked? Dion was simply caught unprepared by the directness of the question. He had no ready answer.

"PRIME MINISTER DION LOSES SOMETHING IN TRANSLATION October 10, 2008 By GREG WESTON HALIFAX -- It was one of those unfortunate technical glitches that eventually bedevils every election campaign, a teleprompter that failed to roll at the start of Stephane Dion's speech to the chamber of commerce here yesterday. No fault of the Liberal leader, the miscue nonetheless provided a much needed reality check on this week's dubious outbreak of Dionmania. "Thank you to welcome me in the chamber of commerce of one of the most successful city of Canada and certainly the most resilient Halifax," Dion began ad libbing as he waited for the teleprompter. Thanking the person who introduced him and saying a word about local Liberal MP Scott Brison, who provided a warm-up act, should not have been too tricky for a prospective prime minister. "Thank you very much, um ... Thank you. Uh, and thank you also. Thank you, Valerie. I think exactly like ... I will speak with my heart, okay?" "Thank you Valerie. Thank you so much because what you have as an agenda is at the core of a plan that Scotch, um, Scott has shown, a plan that want development and for the next generations as well, build on the economy and environment together." The teleprompter finally operational, the Liberal leader reads the rehearsed script, decrying Stephen Harper and telling the crowd why Stephane Dion should be the next prime minister. After the luncheon, Dion was asked during a television interview what he would have done differently about the current economic crisis if he had been prime minister. Three times, Dion said he did not understand the question, and asked that the interview be started over. UNIMAGINABLE With four days to go in this election, the essential ballot question is no longer if voters trust Stephen Harper with a majority government, but whether they can even imagine Dion as prime minister. Sure, the Dion on the podium today is far better rehearsed than the peevish professor of a month ago. But all the best speechwriters, image consultants and English coaches do not a national leader make. Off script, Dion is still the same brainiac mouthful he always he was. For instance, reporters asked him yesterday to respond to a report that the Harper government has been massively understating the cost of Canada's participation in the Afghanistan war. Under a Dion government, he said in part, "Canadians will know exactly where we are and which way does the mismanagement by whom." More…" http://www.ottawasun.com/News/Columnists/W...037131-sun.html Just imagine him as our Prime Minister. Just imagine for a minute that he is in a summit with other foreign leaders. How can we even dream of leading the world when our Prime Minister can't even get his message across, participate coherently or even follow the discussion by other world leaders?

Which only shows that Harper is being honest about wanting to find the truth. With the finding of the analyst which negates the allegation of Harper, opposition cannot say that the analyst had been bought and/or "bullied" by Harper.

Just out of curiousity, did these newspapers plainly endorsed the Conservatives? Greg Weston of the Ottawa Sun had ridiculed Dion over his headlined "Dion's tube boob." Some of its editorials have been critical of Harper....but there seems to be more negatives about Dion.

I don't get it.... On CPAC's daily poll tracking, they have a "leadership score" which comprises of 4 categories: Best Prime Minister, Most Trustworthy, Most Competent and Best vision. Harper had a consistently high lead since the beginning, and even today he still has quite a lead on all categories. His leadership score is at 86% today (down from 110 at the start), Layton's 56% and Dion's at 52%. If most Canadians think he is the most competent, trustworthy and the best Prime Minister with the best vision for Canada, then why are the polls for national support showing only a 4 percent lead from Dion?

Did they look inside the boots? Since this came from Dubya, you never know. Maybe there's something hidden in those boots....like a treasure oil map in the north?

Well, something interesting was brought up on MDuffy today by the La Presse journalist. There's still hope in Quebec! Apparently it's considered politically incorrect in Quebec to say you're voting for the Conservatives because of the pressure from the artist groups. Those who favor the Conservatives will tend to lie low and be quiet about it. This happened with the ADQ whose poll numbers prior to the election were low....but won with 5% more than the poll numbers actually showed. Then there's this new book by Paul Martin who's laying the blame of the Liberal woes today right on Chretien's doorstep. The book's supposed to be out at the end of October but La Presse got a leak on it. Excerpts will be featured in La Presse. It is said to be more vicious than the Coulliard book. This book is a reminder of all the old stuff that's bad about the Liberals. So how will this play out among Quebecers? All the Conservatives need do is to dig up bones - shawinigate, HRDC, sponsorship scandal.....

....and compound this with the mention of Rev Jeremiah Wright Jr.

During the Republican Convention (when the story broke out about her pregnant daughter), she came out swinging to the media. Remember her "I've got news for you....: line to the press. And then on debate night she also indirectly rebuked the media by saying something like "it's nice to speak directly to the people without the media translating it." Especially with her sudden popularity, Palin knows the liberal media is out to peg her down no matter what. Perhaps the best strategy was to discredit the media. Her popularity may have dipped down from those interviews....but those interviews were done before the debate. One of our local papers here had headlined that she shone in that debate. She must've passed the test. We'll have to wait and see what happens next.

You should ask the Liberals that. They probably ran out of ideas that's why according to Elizabeth may, the Liberals copied her Green plan. And ask Dion who the heck was the great brain who stole the "Green Shift" name from a a businesswoman. While it's almost impossible to check if speechwriters copy from somebody's work....a simple name-check on the other hand, to determine if a particular name is already taken, is actually almost mandatory.

With that split screen, I bet a lot of viewers were focused on Palin even when it's Biden speaking. Biden's reaction (posture and expression) to some of Palin's witty punches indicate that this was quite unexpected. Prior to the debate, the media made her into someone who don't know that much. One interview with Couric, Palin did not answer to Couric's direct question (one was about the kind of reading materials she peruse to catch up with foreign policy with Couric insisting that she name one specific example of reading material; the second was about naming another bill aside from Roe v Wade). After watching the debate, I now wonder if Sarah Palin purposefully led the media to paint her as such for it might have easily led the Democrats to underestimate her. This woman led a merry debate. She has a sense of humor and seems like a nice person. For those of you who had taped the show, check some of Biden's reaction to some of her punches. I could almost swear that there is some reluctant admiration for her in some of his reaction.

May was so annoying. She interrupts everytime Harper is given the floor to defend himself. I would understand if she was caught up in the midst of a heated argument, but her interruptions are nothing more than cheapshots at distracting and minimizing the chances of Harper to explain his position. The moderator had to stop her several times. She doesn't accord the same respect that is given her during her alloted time. She cheapened the debate. As a voter, I want to listen to all the details, not to some shrill shrew who couldn't manage to contain herself and practice decorum. The moderator was ineffective in a number of occasions. For this reason I hate this format.

The problem with this strategy is the stark comparison between Dion and Rae, or Dion and Ignatieff. It magnifies the weakness of Dion's personality compared to these two. A lot of Liberal supporters must think how their situation could've been different if it was Rae or Ignatieff leading the fight in this election.

No, I didn't notice that. But I did notice that what-looks-like-a-giant-crab on May's neck.

Very well said.

You are ahead at the polls. But will that really mean a majority? Some are saying you'll only end up with a minority because people still don't warm up to you. The continuous gaffes and distractions plague you to this day. You are slipping in Quebec. Starting today on the English debate to the 13th of October, what will you do to ensure a majority? What will be your strategy?

So we all know your party continues to slide down the polls. There is danger that the NDP may take the position of official opposition. Starting today on the English debate to the 13th of October, what will you do? What will be your strategy?