Hey! Where are today's comments?

Here's your proto-typical Uncle Iggy Doodle Dandy comin' back to Canada:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v714/stevekog...

or ...

<embed src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v714/stevekog/UncleIggy.jpg"></embed>

EKOS poll:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/pdf/0779-june1-ekos-cbc-...
“But the situation is clearly quite volatile, and neither party could force an election right now confident that they would win, much less form a majority. …
Michael Ignatieff trails Stephen Harper as the choice for “best prime minister”. ...”

Re: EKOS poll
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/04/16/ekos-...
"Conservatives slipping, Liberals gaining: EKOS poll
Governing party's support dropping in Ontario, Quebec, survey suggests
Last Updated: Thursday, April 16, 2009
Asked which party they would support if an election were held tomorrow, 36.7 opted for the Liberals while 30.2 per cent chose the Conservatives. About 15.5 per cent supported the NDP, while the Green party was the choice of 8.1 per cent and the Bloc Québécois was backed by 9.4 per cent. ...”

But here's the latest
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/06/01/feder...
“Minority government possible for Liberals, poll suggests
Survey indicates Ignatieff's party would top Tories in election tomorrow
Last Updated: Monday, June 1, 2009
The poll found 33.5 per cent of respondents would vote Liberal. Another 32.3 per cent said they would vote Conservative, and 15.1 per cent said they would vote NDP. …

Harper preferred as PM choice
The news is not all encouraging for the Liberals, whose leader, Michael Ignatieff, trailed Conservative Leader Stephen Harper when respondents were asked who would make the best prime minister.
Thirty per cent chose Harper, 26 per cent opted for Ignatieff … “

Now let's see one of the questions asked
http://www.cbc.ca/news/pdf/0779-june1-ekos-cbc-...
Q. All things considered, would you say the COUNTRY/GOVERNMENT OF CANADA is moving in the right direction or the wrong direction?
May 7-28 2009 (results June 1)
55% Right direction 35% wrong direction 11% don’t know (COUNTRY)
46% right direction 42% wrong direction 12% don’t know (GOVERNMENT OF CANADA)
How do those figures compare with last April?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/pdf/political-update-res...
Apr. 8-13 2009
47% right direction 41% wrong direction 12% don’t know (COUNTRY)
38% right direction 49% wrong direction 13% don’t know (GOVERNMENT OF CANADA)

Has there been a change from April to June? Yes.
8% surge in approval rating in both "the country and the government are going in the right direction" ratings.

Gabby the lone QC tory.....please read the full EKOS poll and you will see where tney noted Harper's started falling off badly after announcing the $50BB defict. The real effect of that fall off will show up in the June11 update of the poll.

Keep those dreams alive.

No matter how clean Iggy is from all the scandals of the libs, he still has all those that were involved in many of the scandals ect in his caucus. They would still be there if he is PM. That is the problem. And I disagree, most cdns have not embraced the visitor.
Just wait till Duceppe takes after Iggy in Quebec. It is separtist votes Iggy is going after.
I spent the weekend travelling on Greyhound, Listened to conversations of cdns going to many places, and Iggy and his EI was not a popular topic. Lots of positive comments on the visitor ads. The msm and libs might think they are backfiring but they are not. People are paying attention.

Well well Tory boys and girls...we have yet another poll that spells good times for the country post Harper:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/06/01/feder...

"Minority government possible for Liberals, poll suggests
EKOS survey indicates Ignatieff's party would clip Harper Tories in election tomorrow
Last Updated: Monday, June 1, 2009 | 7:16 AM ET Comments185Recommend61CBC News
News of the federal deficit topping $50 billion appears to have put the Liberals slightly ahead of the Conservatives in a poll asking Canadians how they would vote if an election were held tomorrow.

The EKOS poll released Monday exclusively for the CBC suggests the Liberals would likely squeak into a minority government.

The poll found 33.5 per cent of respondents would vote Liberal. Another 32.3 per cent said they would vote Conservative, and 15.1 per cent said they would vote NDP.

The poll of 10,896 randomly selected Canadians was conducted between May 7 and May 28. "

Please note the large numbers of people polled and the dates they were polled. There is change in the air.
Just think Iggy has not really responded to the last attack ads and I'm sure the back room bullies will be sending out a new batch of even more nasty stuff. Nor has he issued an election platform yet and obviously doesn't need to at this time.

Now do I still sound angry?...LOL

Terry, hate to burst your bubble buddy, but Liberal's were down almost 4 points from April, Conservative's up by two points.

Remember. Google is your friend.

Paulsstuff,,,,,,I think you need to look at the trends as the pollsters are. They see where the Liberal votes are more efficient and will get Iggy elected. The recession is not yet over with the worst news still to come and of course another Flatulence "update".

Remember, the pollsters are smarter than you.

I suggest we ignore the constant liberal drivel from Terry. It is getting boring.

You mean reporting polls that don't suit your fancy is Liberal drivel!!! The IQ gets lower and lower as the polls sink your party.....LOL

So tory boys and girls, are the attack ads working?
lets see now with a new poll out today:

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/6434...
Tory attack ads backfiring, poll finds
ON THE ATTACK
Toronto Star-Angus Reid national poll:
Liberals: 33%
Conservatives: 31%
NDP: 17%
Bloc: 9%
Greens: 7%
"However, while 42 per cent of poll respondents said their opinion of Ignatieff worsened after seeing the ad about the Liberal leader, 50 per cent said their opinion of Harper also worsened.

While the ad attempts to portray Ignatieff as an arrogant elitist, Canadians actually think Harper is the more arrogant, said Mario Canseco, vice-president of Angus Reid Strategies. And the reaction of the respondents who watched Ignatieff's rebuttal – airing on YouTube – was "remarkably positive."

Ignatieff's time in Britain and the United States is so far a "non-issue" for voters, Canseco said.

The big problem for Ignatieff is that the Conservative ads are reaching a wide audience on television while the Liberal response has limited viewers on the Internet.

The poll reveals that the Liberals have support of 33 per cent of voters nationally, the Conservatives have 31 per cent, the NDP 17 per cent, Bloc Québécois 9 per cent and Green party 7 per cent.

It also shows the Liberals have a 7-point lead over the Conservatives in Ontario (43 per cent to 36 per cent). In B.C., the Liberals are in second place behind the Conservatives (45 to 26). In Quebec, the Liberals trail the Bloc by just three points (36 to 33) with Conservatives far behind at 10 per cent.

"If you look take a look at the areas where the growth is coming, it could spell trouble for the Tories," Canseco said."

I say things are going well for Liberals in this country and not so well for the harpercrites. Iggy's U tube rebuttal which went over well is a prelude to how they will make Harpercrite pay for his sins.

I wonder when the Tory progressives will finally come out of the closet and push the reformatory regressives along with Harper over the cliff.

"Gabby the lone QC tory ..." Terry1 calls me. : - D
And my reply?
"It is better to be alone than in bad company." Ralph Waldo Emerson

And such anger!
The angrier he is, the more typos ... poor soul.

Anger and scorn are a tough combination, but these are tough times for terry1.

Beer and popcorn, these are not tough times for me. I see the party I support returning from its purgatory to resume its position as the NGP of this country much as it should be based on the disaster in governance we are experiencing from the harpercrites.

You will be the unhappy one when your tory subsidy for the B&P disappears.

LOL!!!!!!!

Who's paying Michael Volpe to write such drivel? 'Guess he's hoping for a Senate seat ...

Silver-spoon-in-mouth Count Iggula is not "lionized throughout the Western world." What hype!!! Maybe in his own mind he's the king of the jungle, but he's actually a pretty minor player in the pantheon of the Western intelligentsia.

This country hardly needs an international intellectual, Canadian-come-lately swanning around as its Prime Minister.

"For several years now, Harper has been struggling to write one book about the early history of hockey. Ignatieff, however, has published 17 books."
What idiotic tripe.

A major difference between Ignatieff and Harper is that Ignatieff has been an observer of public affairs, while Harper has been a participant in them, shaping them. Little wonder then that Harper has not had the time to complete his book on hockey in his idle hours - 'cause he's had none.

Gabby the lone QC tory....So you don't think Iggy's books have been more than an observer of public afairs and his tenure at a prestigous university is not participation. your ongoing ignorance of facts is astounding.

Harper has not shaped anything other than his extreme desire to get a stranglehold on government. He has shown pure contempt for our democratic principles in the way he governs his party and the PMO. His claim to fame with his NCC writings is not something anyone should be proud of. He is bright, no doubt, but not the man to give me or the vast majority of Canadians our trust. Polls continue to show that. Iggy is still building that trust which scares the hell out of the right wing nut bars and thus the attack ads.

Your Iggy comments are the worst of tripe and reflect the dirty political mindset of the Harpercrite fans.

Sure Terry. Iggy rants about an economic crisis, yet still takes time to do book signings. Is a book signing a way of shaping public affairs?

By the way, Iggy was a professor, professors write books, Harper was and is leader of a federal Canadian Party, and PM for 3 1/2 years. I'm pretty sure he has done a lot more in shaping public affairs than Iggy. Actually Iggy did try and shape public affairs with the green shift, and then when it tanked hung the albatross on his predecessor and still tries and distance itself from it.

I think there are now some very good responses from writers and others on the attack ads and the harpercrite government.

Here are some:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotian/112479...

"As Michael Volpe wrote in the Globe and Mail, however, Ignatieff is "a thinker on global affairs lionized throughout the Western world," and is it not possible that Canada needs a prime minister who, for more than three decades, excelled at virtually everything he undertook in the two biggest English-speaking democracies? If it’s a change we want, we couldn’t do much better than that.

About Virtual War by Ignatieff, The Sunday Times said, "It would be hard to find clearer or more elegant examples of contemporary reportage . . . Polished prose technique, eye for the telling detail, and talent for historical exposition."

About Lesser Evil, also by Ignatieff, Publishers Weekly said, "An impeccably argued case for how to balance security and liberty in the face of the new kind of threat posed by today’s terrorists."

For several years now, Harper has been struggling to write one book about the early history of hockey. Ignatieff, however, has published 17 books. So who’s better at finishing what he starts? I know who Canada’s next prime minister should be, and it isn’t the homebody in the sweater-vest."

And this scathing line:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Business/search+re...
"Alas, until some conservatives take over the Conservative party, Canadians will be in no position to prove me wrong".
or this line
"This is what we pay for not having a genuinely conservative party in Parliament. For even if such a party were not in power, its existence as an alternative would put pressure on the governing spendthrift party to watch out."

At least Iggy has his election music ready

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PX5t9VJweQ

Sorry, but the "Uncle Sam" is a really silly stunt - about as dignified as WK's using a Barney doll as a prop way back when. Can we please all grow up?

Agree, Gabby, it's a silly stunt but it catch the attention of some voters who may not otherwise be informed on the subject.
There's got to be a considerable number who go to the voting booths at election time uninformed or having been told lies. Kinsella knows that, his dinosaur message worked against Day. That's the amount of consideration too many people give to electing their politicians, including the PM.

At least this message is truthful, the man who aspires to become our PM really has also considered himself an "American". He wouldn't have garnered as much attention dressed in plain street clothes.

I'm wondering if Ignatieff will be going on the defensive, saying he really meant North American, that would cover his ass nicely.

Liz J, if the question about Ignatieff's prolonged absence from Canada is a serious one, then it should be handled in a more sober way, IMO.

Maybe it's a generational thing, I don't know, but I think some things should not be reduced to caricatures or cartoonish send-ups.

I simply wonder if such tactics will backfire on the Conservative Party instead of helping to spread a valid message.

Liz J Hysterical....Iggy does not need to cover his ass. your guy is covering his ass and his huge failures with nonsensical ads.

All I can say is paybacks are hell. Wait for the pinnochio ads showing Harper's big nose.

Stuff it, Stew.

There' s one BIG -- no, make that HUGE -- difference between Wayne Gretzky and all of the other Canadians like Mike Myers, Martin Short, Dan Ackroyd, Celine Dion, Dave Thomas, etc., etc. who are Canadians that made it big in the U.S.: They have never claimed to be American when they were Canadian and -- TA! DA! -- they're not running for Prime Minister of Canada.

'Funny you can't make the distinction. 'Must mean you're a dyed-in-the-wool, can't-tell-the-forest-for-the-trees Liberal. Too bad. So sad. Better luck next time. And, BTW, try to connect a few dots, Stew. Your processing skills seem to be lacking.

Michael: I think that Teneyke is taller.

Bat B Delusional.......question. Does Iggy have more than one passport? Grow up and stop your partisan ignorance.

For anyone who supports Mr. Ignatieff, I have a simple question. Had he not been offered the Prime Ministership on a silver platter, would he be in Canada today? I truly believe the only reason the man is in Canada now is because Liberal backroom boys promised to put him in the PM's office if he left Harvard and moved to Toronto. That is all the ads are saying - he's not here to improve Canada; he is here to sit in the PM's chair. If that doesn't happen, he'll head back to Harvard, or Oxford or wherever - that's what I understand the tag line "he's just visiting" means. It isn't that the man traveled or lived out of the country that bothers me; it is that while doing so, he insulted the country, the flag, lied about his nationality to gain favour and is now treating the country and its people as stepping stones to pad his resume - I don't get the sense he cares two hoots about us; for him, it is all about him.

Let's no just talk about King Iggy's past - He has also said that if he doesn't win the next election, he will go back to the good ol' US of A.

He's been out of the country for 34 years, and will leave again at the drop of a hat.

Does that sound like a guy committed to Canada?

Wayne,yea I think he's committed to Canada. He gave up a pretty good career to come back here to help build a better Canada. The current idiot we have as Pm is trying to tear Canada apart if not physically at least economically.

What have you done to be more committed?

terry1, let's not deflect from the topic at hand. I am not the subject here, neither is Harper. King Iggy is.

I'll grant you that Iggy is indeed committed - to himself. Yes, he gave up a good job, but not for Canada. He did it because there was an opportunity for further self-aggrandizement.

So, I ask again: How committed can anyone be who lives out of country for 34 years, and announces he will leave just as quickly as he arrived unless he gets to be prime minister?

Wayne, the subject at hand is also about Harper's deceiptful use of sound bites to create negative images of his opponent. The opponent also has hundreds of hours of Harpercrite's deceiptful and hypocritical swing from right wing Tory to socialist spender. They have the garbage he spewed when he was head of Presto's think tank They have the speech he made about four year election terms and the one he made about not taxing income trusts,etc etc.

Harper is the least trusted PM in a long long time and therefore deserves the negative attention. Iggy's years outside Canada that supposedly make him unfit for office are a figment of the Tory war room's imagination. Iggy has the answer for that and will wrap himself around the flag of the only passport he carries and has ever carried. The rest is garbage.

Harper does not like the way he is being framed by Liberals and most Canadians but all is fair in politics I guess. He will use his ammo and the liberals will eventually respond at the right time so may the dirtiest guy win. That is really your take on this.

terry1, you display all the tell-tale signs of a Liberal shill: Failure to answer a question put directly to you, deflecting the issue so as to take attention away from the real subject, and, of course, the name calling.

I have nothing more to say to you, nor you to me. Good day sir.

The answer I gave you was a direct comparison to the phoney ads run by the Tories.

The fact Iggy has lived outside of canada all those years is indisputable so why bother discussing that point.

Making a glib comment that he would go back to Harvard was stated as a point in reference to a full interview. Sure, he can go back BUT he didn't say he would definitely go back and you got sucked in by the sound bites that purports to be a truth ad.

The narrow minded view you show also makes it unrealistic to have a discussion with any IQ level to it.

So good day to you also, sir, however I may choose to comment on your less than honest views of someone who brings deep convistions and great intellect to our political debate. The fact you and others choose to debase that over a silly debate about his brilliant career is debillitating to our process.

When the truth, the facts are a problem, you've got a problem. For one thing, you can't make it in politics when you are bent on hiding the truth about your past, when what you've said, your beliefs, are things you wish to hide. It simply risks branding you as a sham, a charlatan , you're hiding something to sneak past the people.

Ignatieff should spell it out, be honest about the fact he lived away for opportunity, returned for opportunity. Problem is, he's seeking a job he isn't prepared for and doesn't deserve. There are some qualifications to serve as PM but it's also a privilege which requires openness and honesty about why he thinks he's qualified, in spite of the fact he has contributed squat to the country for decades. It goes beyond the accident of birth.

It's also very over the top for a person who has accepted the offer to serve as a political leader and possibly the PM to have to go across the country flogging a book about how he has 'True Patriot Love" for the country and has to tell us all about Me, Myself and I, the parts he wishes to disclose.

The whole thing just isn't adding up. It's hard to imagine the LPC has reached this level. Where are the big Boys of the outfit hiding out and why? McKenna? Manley? ZZZZZZZZZ.

Liz J hysterical.....why don't you stop with the academy award performances. Canadians have more or less embraced Iggy and harper knows it which is why he wants ot stop him cold. Your stuff is trashy tabloid material...then again you are an angry tory.

Duceppe is more Canadian than Ignatieff.

He may well be...he travels with a Canadian passport and he gets paid in Canadian dollars. Next time you crucify him for being a separatist remember that comment.

Duceppe wants to seperate from Canada. Ignatieff already did, in 1969 according to Iggy himself.

I'm sure if Duceppe somehow wins a referendum he will still visit Canada, much like Iggy now.

Good line, but unfortunately its Harper that could cause them to separate as he continues to pi$$ them off with his arrogance. They pick up well on that character flaw.
Iggy is popular there and as they are one of the two founding peoples of Canada their votes count, something Harpercrite can only have wet dreams about.

You might want to hold off on Iggy being popular in Quebec Terry. The reason Harper isn't popular in Quebec is the hatchet job Duceppe has done painting him as not good for Quebec. The same thing will happen to Iggy, who in the past has made some not so flattering comments about Quebec and Quebecer's.

The best way to deal with the seperatists is get rid of their funding advantage in campaigning. Taking away tha $1.95 vote subsidy would be a good start. Ooops, never mind.

Paulsstuff... more of your tory "democratic" reforms I see. cut funding to everyone else while you continue to collect money from church basements in western canada. The rest of Canada is secular, however.

Ya, your right Terry. More important to support a seperatist group than what's right for Canada.

And Terry, is that more of that Liberal tolerance? I guess people in church basements(whatever the hell that means), aren't Canadain because they might vote Conservative.

Tell ya what Terry. The Conservative Party has strong support from the Jewish community. Make a similar statement about that demographic group donating to the party. Go ahead. I dare you.

Paulsstuff...did Harper not approach and make a deal with Duceppe to go to the GG and dump Martin in 2005...stop with the hypocrisy. It doesn't work with me.

My point is that Canada is a secular Country and I have no use for relions or religious types having overstated power over a poltiical party. Manning and his other religious types including Stock boy keep thos epeople in the limelight because its their agenda they want pushed and Harper has to and wants to go along with it but cannot do it with hs minority.

The Liberal party also has strong support form the Jewish community and has a very prominent Jewish MP who was justice minister in the last government. The liberals have proven they don't discriminate but you apparently do by your comments.
By the way guess who named the current GG.

Read your comment again Terry. People in church basements. Which religous gruop were you referring Terry?

Is one religous gruop not worty of donating to a political party?

So again Terry, make the same comment, only substitue Jewish, Muslim, Asian, whatever you want.

You won't, and you know why. Because that was probably the most pathetic comment I've seen posted on here, and you appear to be selective with your racism.

By the way, stating Canada is secular goes against everything the Liberal Party is supposed to stand for, being all inclusive regardless of religion, age sex, ethnicity.

Maybe it is time for Harper to take responsibility for his own actions. He is the one who cut funding to the arts and wanted to put kids in adult jails. He is also the one who attacked Quebec voters during the coalition "crisis".

But you keep blaming someone else for his problems in Quebec. You conservatives say you are about personal responsibility, but I have yet to see evidence of that on these boards.

Gayle I Live in Quebec and I want to see kids with major crimes in adult jail. I also resent the fact that my tax $ are being spend on not so clean movies. You people are all alike all you care about is how much money you can get from the rest of Canada and of course power.

How nice for you. Sadly for you the majority of your fellow Quebecers think differently.

I know how you feel - I live in Alberta and do not vote conservative.

Actually Gayle, he wasn't going to put kids in adult jails. They would serve ther time in youth facilities until they turned 18, the same system in effect today. That was actually part of the hatchet job Duceppe used, saying a 14 year old would be fresh meat in an adult prison,, and you fell for it.

Same with the arts funding. Total funding went up, not down. Funding for a certain aspect was cut because it was not delivering bang for the taxpayer dollar. Again you believed Duceppe.

Actually, I am pretty good at reading all by myself Paul.

The problem was that he wanted to have more kids tried as adults, and give them adult sentences.

The arts funding went up in certain areas only because the government including things like the celebration of Quebec's anniversary as part of funding the arts.

And in any event, Harper can hardly complain about people lying about his policies, considering the lies he told about the carbon tax, and the lies he is currently telling about the LPC EI proposal.

More kids tried as adults for the most serious crime Gayle, and usually repeat offenders.

Fill me in Gayle, what lies about the E.I proposal.

Harper says the LPC are proposing a permanent change in EI, when in fact they are proposing a temporary change.

The YCJA already allows for youth to be sentenced as adults for more serious crimes, should the circumstances require.

What Harper wanted to do was make that automatic - which he actually could not do because of the recent SCC decision on adult sentences. So what he proposed was giving youth adult sentences, but he would call them "youth sentences" in a feeble effort to suggest they were not one and the same.

All this against a backdrop of falling youth crime...

So what you are saying then Gayle; it is not the reading that is the problem, just the comprehension?

Jim, she's not a tory so comprehension is never an issue.

Gayle,
Slight correction. If you do your homework, you will find that money for arts and culture was actually increased during Harper's last budget. The Arts Council in Quebec re-evaluated where the funding was going. This hadn't been done for years and was a requirement from the Federal gov't. to show accountability for tax-payer dollars. The programs which were deemed to be ineffective and of little value in enhancing Quebec culture (many produced overseas), were no longer funded by the Quebec Arts Council It is this aspect that Duceppe distorted to Quebecers, by saying that funding for arts and culture has been cut, which frankly, was not true.
Harper has NEVER denigrated Quebecers! He is a federalist, devoted to keeping this country together, as any P.M. should be. His remarks were to the Bloc "separtists" who would hold the veto power for the entire country if the coalition had succeeded. If you read the agenda of the NDP/Liberal coalition, the Bloc could in effect, prevent a federal election for 2 1/2 years. This would have allowed an "unelected" government to dictate policy and budget for Canadians with virtually no opposition. The Liberal budget for national programs would have exceeded 27 billion and that does not include health care or defense --and that was BEFORE the recession.
My last remark is concerning "kids in adult jails". The legislation was to address VIOLENT offenders with 3 convictions of violent crime -- not some kid caught stealing a VCR. Personally, on a case by case basis, elevating SOME juvenile crime to adult court is a responsible way to protect the public.
As I'm sure you can tell, I am a conservative, and as for personal responsibility, it is my belief that ALL Canadians, regardless of political preference, should educate and inform themselves about the issues. My hope is that you will do that as opposed to repeating someone else's uninformed opinion. Respectfully,

I'm waiting, with bated breath, for the inspired diatribe against all those other loser Canadians that have gone south and abandoned this great country of ours. Please when you get to Wayne Gretzky, lay it on him thick and sticky, I don't want that traitor making any claims on the homeland he forsook, and for money, god what low life. Please do Canadians proud and call out all those miscreants who think they can get away with this outrageous effrontery to our nation.

Stew, Wayne Gretzky isn't running for prime minister!

Wayne isn't pretending he's not Canadian while living in the US
nor is does he want to be Prime Minister.

Stew, Lets see during Gretzky's absence, he played for and coached team Canada in the Olympics and other international events for one example of how he still supported his country not to mention all the trips back to Canada for charity functions etc, I do not remember Gretzky referring to himself as an American, I do not remember him calling down his own country's flag or refer it to as a beer label, I do not remember him saying the only thing he missed was a park. Want to try again.

disenchanted, I'm disenchanted with your comment.

What are you talking about ? ... "this campaign" ... "anti-American" ...

What this campaign IS about is pro-Canadian. What this campaign IS about is informing the Canadian public that the potential Prime Minister of Canada has lived outside the country for 34 years.

In other words, what qualifies Michael Ignatieff to be Canada's PM, seeing as he's been AWOL during a formative period in our country when a great many political skirmishes were going on which have huge ramifications for Canadians today and in the future? Canadians should be able to rely on a leader who has been engaged in their country, on the ground, and who intimately knows the political issues we've all been grappling with for many years.

That leader is not Michael Ignatieff.

This campaign is NOT anti-American. It is PRO-Canadian. It's simply pointing out to Canadians who may be uninformed, seeing as our MSM like to shield us from the particular details of Mr. Ignatieff's past, that Mr. Ignatieff has at times identified himself as an American citizen and that he has not been engaged in issues of importance to Canadians until the very recent past.

No one's anti-American. Some of us are anti Mr. Ignatieff's attempts to pass himself off as a Canadian patriot when he has more closely identified himself with both the British and American phases of his life until his recent touchdown here in the True North Strong and Free -- which, BTW, has provided him with a great salary and not-shabby digs.

Your claim of "anti-American" is disingenuous. Go bark up another tree.

That's right, it is not that Iffy was MIA for 34 years that disqualifies him,
it's that he has done nothing in those years FOR Canada that qualifies him for PM.

Liberals are such hypocrites. Bob Rae, Stephan Dion , Joe Volpe and other leadership contenders were saying exactly the same things about Ignatieff being out of Canada for so long when they were running for the leadership. Its all on the record. What was far worse were the Liberal attack ads trying to demonize Stephen Harper when he became Conservative leader.

How much did they pay Teneyke to dress up like that?

Harper must have messed himself, being all "inspired' with the American style conservatism of old Uncle Sam.

I've been giving this a lot of thought and think I finally get why the Liberal$ don't care if Count Iggula's been out of the country for 34 years -- or that he sometimes refers to himself as an American. For the Liberal$, Iggy's absence has been a positive plus.

They need a leader who's been as far away as possible from all the crap and corruption the Liberal Party's been a part of in the past ... say, 34 years. They need a leader who can't be tarred and feathered (given the flap over tar baby, am I even allowed to say "tarred and feathered"?) with the HRDC Scandal, Adscam, Shawinigate, the redirecting of EI funds, the untouchable slush, er, I mean trust funds, brown envelopes stuffed with cash, etc., etc.

Think of it: Of all the Liberals who could have stood for election as leader of the party, most of the brightest and best said a resounding "NO THANKS. NO WAY."

I wonder why? Could it be that all of them knew not only that they were totally broke but that there was no way they could extricate themselves from the dark, labyrinthian maze of moral deterioration they were part of for so many years?

Then along comes Bob Rae, connected to his own particular brand of political intrigue -- but at least under the NDP banner -- and, ta-da, Michael Ignatieff who, though a self-proclaimed Liberal, was at least out of the country for lo these many sticky years. It's going to be hard to stick him with the Liberal garbage, seeing as he's been conveniently out of Canada while all of the shenanigans the Liberal$ want to distance themselves -- and their leader -- from were going on.

Now it makes perfect sense -- at least, if you're a Liberal. The optics look great to them: clean leader, 'can't be accountable for things that happened in his absence, lily white, spick and span, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and all that.

For the rest of us, though? The optics stink.

Ahh, Batb you're getting there but there is a lot more than just that. As far back as Trudeau, when he campaigned against Joe Clark's Wage and Price controls and gas tax, them imposed a more draconian version as soon as he was in power, to Chretien's campaign on re-writing NAFTA and cancelling the GST, to his more recent Red book in which he failed to do a single thing in it, the Liberals have made lying to the Canadian Public part of their brand. Paradox - is a person a liar because he's a liberal or do liars just normally gravitate to the Liberal Party of Canada? Is PMSH perfect? Nope, but of the five things he promised, he delivered four while the other was held up in the Liberal dominated Senate. He did back down on theTrust funds - because if he didn't when everybody started to hide their taxes in that haven the Govt' would have lost too much revenue - those same people who want all the Govt services.

The fact is, that while the Liberals promise things, they never deliver - instead we get , as you say, Shawinigate, the HRDC boondoggle, the overinflated Gun registry, Adscam therGrand mere affair etc. and you name it. Essentially, and based on their record to date, the LPC seems as much a criminal organization as it is a political one - no wonder they took so long to come up with anti-gang legislation - they had to figure out how to bring it in so they weren't going to be caught up in it. But I digress...

Those in the center keep talking about "Separation" as though Quebec is some necessary part of it. Quebec is convienent, but not necessary - the west has bankrolled Canada for decades at about 244 billion per year while Quebec eats up about 16 of that. I have family back there and I enjoy Quebec - but it isn't the center of the universe any more than Toronto is. Those in the west that are looking at their own version of Separation are very, very different from Quebec. They have no intention of holding Canada hostage, which has always been Quebec's intention becuase it continued to work very well for them. In part because they don't need to, the West is not in the same game and as each Liberal over the last decades coldn't drop a writ without degrading Alta they listened. When the stupidity of the coalition of idiots came out there was a subtle shift in the mindset. (The press at the time called it "seething rage") and it wasn't nice conversation about how they could get more money out of the center. The Liberals have given up the North and screwed the rest of the country and its going to be interesting if the screw ups can be reversed. Frankly I'm not sure if Quebec will accept Canada becuase its in their economic interest to do so (those that wish to be Emperor of Quebec dont' care about the economics) or the west will evict everything east of Manitouba, but for the next decade or two, they better hope for leaders from the west that can defuse the emotion that the idiots ignited or there will be new borders being drawn.

Every time the Libs and the press complain about the "attack adds" on poor Mr. Absentee, I think of the way they went after Stockwell Day, and smile. The Conservatives learned from that and now -when the press won't investigate, discuss or debate, the Conservatives will even if it takes their own money. While it isn't illegal, voting for the LPC should be morally considered an act of disloyalty to Canada. They seek power for powers sake - if not they would have instituted their platforms or at the very least - tried to move on them as Harper did. For once we have someone with integrity to lead the country - even if he has to go to the states to get a viable interview - but in what were probably the only true words Trudeau ever said "The incompetance of the press is matched only by their nastiness", maybe the next generation of them will not be so programed by the LPC - The Lying Party of Canada"

This is a gross campaign. Reeks of anti-American populism of the worst kind. Probably plays well with the numbers, but it's still revolting.

Disenchanted, you may not like the so called anti-American style. But when all is said and done, the USA has
closed the border with Canada, no matter all the sweet words of Napolitano.

there is nothing revolting about repeating Iggy's own words except the fact he said them in the first place