Galahad

Although not in the exalted position of Premier of a province of the grand realm of Canada, perhaps Winston Churchill meets your criteria? He enjoyed crossing the floor & did it twice in his career.

You could have just as well said..."I predict Winter. And 21 June to be precise." I kind of liked and was ready to bet on the June 21 date myself, but seeing as how a man who doesn't even know the seasons picks it, I will switch. Thus my new prediction is an April 25 call for a May 31 vote, right after the April 22-23 testimony by Chuck Guite & Paul Martin's super-productive meeting with George W. Bush. Wanna bet? PS - To your question "who the hell is Don Martin" ... he is the original guy from whom the ad people "When EF Hutton speaks, people listen" stole the concept . He has big bucks riding on a May 31 vote also. Still wanna bet? Didn't think so.

"The" plane was in for a tune up at the time. Ok...so you don't get her sense of humor. No surprise there...lefties aren't known for having a sense of humor. But just tell me what she said in that column that wasn't factual? Ok...so facts aren't important to lefties either. Black Dog: for those who find Karl Marx "too conservative".

Pierre Trudeau wouldn't agree with you. And neither would the #1 columnist in North America today, Ann Coulter. She's got a top notch piece on this in today's National Post. Read it & weep!

Agreed! I predict June 22. I aimed my prediction for the first Monday of summer but miscalculated. I meant June 21, honest. Yesterday, Don Martin put out his official odds on when the election will occur, saying: At the generous odds of 16-1, I immediately ran to my corner bookie and bet heavily on June 21. How about you?

I agree totally. One could disagree with WHAT the money in the slush fund is spent on...but not the fact that it EXISTS. Most of us have such a fund, I think .... and call it the "slush", "disaster", "contingency", "rainy day" fund etc.. I call mine the "stew" fund and that's because I use it mainly to buy extra pilsners when I stew over something, so as to get my body thoroughly stewed, along with my head. Such is the case today as I just found out that some turd went over Greg's head and took my Jim McNulty piece out again. SKOL!

Willy - We agree...no tax cuts at this moment. It's a matter of where the money goes...not cutting off the supply until you have this under control. Martin understands this. We understand this. Harper doesn't. Tax cuts can come later when they have a handle on where the money goes (sure looks like they haven't in years). See you later, alligator!

No credit with other countries. Living in Zimbabwe waiting for international aid. It makes one hell of a difference if you don't have anything in your bank & are kiting cheques & can't pay your credit card bill at the end of the month. Well August put me in the pile with Martin, Nixon & Layton. What in the hell are you talking about? Sorry will not be able to reply again after this for about a week...will see you then & pick up where we left off. Or not.

Exactly. But does it matter to the person whether you use the cheque book or the credit card? IOW, does it matter to you whether someone steals your credit card or your cheque book? The critical question is: What is the damage? It matters. Ask all of the people declaring bankruptcy. It wasn't because they used their chequebook too often.

Galahad, I'm sorry for the Layton connection below, but I sincerely hope you understand this idea too. Layton used your same analogy, and showed his ignorance of economics. (He really needs new advisors.) The federal government is not like you or I. Comparisons of its choices and your choices (and my choices) are totally different. Why? Because the federal government uses someone else's cheque book and credit card to make payments. You and I cannot do that. (Imagine if we could!) Please, someone, explain this to Layton. PS. Layton, by his ignorance, missed out on a really good argument. Well I rarely will give Layton a kudo, but if he used my analogy ( god knows when.... he didn't want MORE money for social programs & union members??) he is correct. If you were using someone else's purse ... you'd retire. Who gives a damn what comes in ... not your worry. Martin is acting as if it is HIS purse & saying ... I can't afford to sit on a beach in Hawaii. This is called "responsibility" (thank you Preston!)

Oh totally. The minute Manning started on about "accountability" & "fiscal responsibility" the Liberals, the Ontario Premier , the BC Premier etc etc..started stealing his thunder. Oh yeah...so did Harper.

I disagree. Would you decide to take early retirement if you still owed half of your mortgage? The debts is there ... it ain't going away. And with our buddies down south having expectations that we will pull our weight militarily & our medical system becoming in crises mode, this is no time to cut revenues. The fact that he thinks he can pull it off without RAISING taxes is damned good news. That's called "budgeting". WE'll see how it works. And if you harbour some delusion that the new & improved PC's would cut taxes, you're dreaming in technicolor.

But that's only under $1000 a year for each Canadian to eat. Heck, I spend that much at Morton's Steak House at least twice a week. What's the big deal? Besides, Paul Martin is a top notch business man, he isn't planning to get it from hard working Canadians, most of it will come via smart investment. I guarantee that!!!

Post Removed due to copyright infringment. But you can read Jim McNulty's article here: http://forums.advancode.com/index.php?showtopic=309

Would you consider the cities of Thunder Bay or Sault Ste Marie rural?

Actually, I hadn't noticed that most of Canada was rural.

How very sad. What's even sadder still, MUCH SADDER, is that I, TOO, am affected. Help meeee Michael, help meeee.

Well thanks for the debate Willy. You're right ... we've arrived at a standoff. What we usually see in politicians are one group, the idealists, who have great ideas & spend all of their energies thinking about how to improve Canada. The other group are great strategists & expend all of their energies on getting to the top & then staying there. Not many people have the resources to be able to do both. Preston was the former type, Chretien & Harper the latter. .Agreed. And once again I see Harper shouting about "Paul Martin" in his acceptance speech. It should have been "the Liberals". But strategists would disagree on that point. Preston Manning changed not only the CP, but the Liberals & Provincial politicians as well. He was head & shoulders above his peers. Sorry, but I can't see Harper doing that ... so far I've heard not one new idea out of him. But I realize that he's too busy ... strategizing.

No. But am I 'lacking in judgement' if I don't support Harper the Harpoon? I like most of his policies too...the ones he cribbed from Preston...I just don't think he's the man to implement them. I like a leader with a moral backbone. Then you must have ADORED Jean Chretien. BTW - I wonder what kind of "strategic" maneuver Harper's playing by making the biggest traitor to many a Progresive Conservative party member his second in command? Is that Stephen's idea of "building bridges"? Or is he planning to continue using Peter MacKay in this department? I feel sorry for them both .... what weasels. A story is half the author & half the reader. BTW - Mine was signed in person. With a hand shake & a pat on the back. Yours? Sorry, I seem to have gotten you all religious there. I meant "damn" in the colloquial sense that we use it, not the religious. Preston had a few bad things to say about Harper...what I was saying about his calling him a brilliant strategist was that it was not meant to be "praise" as you took it. It's sort of like saying "So & so's a fabulous liar". High praise indeed.

Machiavelli was a brilliant strategist. Hitler & Rommel were too. That's not a quality that impresses me in a politician, and if you are aware of Preston's thought process you can see that he was damning him with faint praise by saying that. As for your observations about my judgement...blind loyalty to Harper has me questioning your & others' judgement myself. It works both ways kiddo. PS: Have read "the book" several times...had it personally signed by Preston at a meeting & it is a prized possession. PPS: Marrying Ralph couldn't make Firewall Harper look "more" like he is an Alberta first man than he already does. Which reminds me of what Barbara Yaffe told me today. Said she: "Galahed, as Alberta Premier Ralph Klein delivered a rambling but entertaining keynote address to the convention Saturday, members who were listening must surely have been wondering what might have been had Canada's most endearing Conservative had taken the plunge." I sighed. Harper would not want Ralph's support? In a pig's eye.

Read Manning's book..."Think Big". The only times Harper gets a mention is when he's doing something to stab Preston in the back. Stockwell has not uttered a peep since he left office, it's my suspicion (after seeing Harper's vengence with his last leader) that Harper has shut him up. We'll find out in the end when Stock no longer needs his job. Retirement will open him up I'm sure. I'm not a hardline Reformer...I just happen to like leaders with vision & intelligence. Preston had both. Harper has neither. Why do you think none of the leading ( ie Mike, Ralph, Preston, Brian) conservatives have lined up behind him? I'm sure the Conservatives will get back on track in the future...but it won't be with that snake at the helm. He'll stab himself in the back eventually. You'll see. If the Lord, Manning, Klein, Harris, Mulroney et al are game, I'll think about it.

Isn't my prediction of a "narrowed Liberal majority" there?

Which one? "The Turd Book" (by the anti-chretien) was the best, IMHO.

As I read this, Ted Bundy flashed in my mind and how if he could ask "Do I look and/or sound extremist to you?" those who don't remember his atrocities would say ..."NO!" We will NEVER forget Harper's "firewall" atrocity!

Bush will debate Kerry eventually...he won't be able to pass up the opportunity to get more great quotes out of Kerry like last Tuesday's: From the NY Times today: .He then promptly disappeared to ( unlike Bush who takes "holidays" when he's away) "regroup" on the slopes of Sun Valley Idaho. He sure DOES need to regroup, even those on HIS side are saying he needs to get out of town: .And you think Bush will pass up the chance for more of this? Not on your life. Even if Bush just sits on a stool & hums "Down in the West Texas town of El Paso" at a debate, Kerry'll dig his own grave.