Turns out the only good Tory was a Liberal

I never expected much from the Harper government. The more I watched the press pack try to convince Canadians during the last election campaign that he was brilliant, the more convinced I was that he was a disaster waiting to happen. Turns out I'm right and the press is wrong.

Wouldn't ya think guys who travelled the campaign trail with him would have spent enough time around him to know better? Or are we to believe that his arrogance, his supreme disdain for anything different than himself, his pathological need for control, his inability to trust those who work for him, and his deplorable judgement when it comes to picking staff and candidates - why are we surprised that the wheels are coming off the wagon? You expected better? Why ever for and based on what, pray tell?

Canada is a laughing stock thanks to the Reform Bozos. Peter MacKay's starry eyed adoration of Condoleza Rice was painful, akin to watching a 13-year old fall hopelessly in love with his married French teacher.

Harper's abrupt, rude and completely discourteous treatment of China and his amateurish open arms welcome of the Dalai Llama has deeply offended China and has made the efforts of the business community to tap into the Chinese market just that much harder and more unlikely, and it was always hard enough to begin with.

And Maxime Bernier? What can we say about this fatuous oaf who asks his "girlfriend" to dress like a tart and merrily strews state papers around her apartment, forgets he's done so and then doesn't even miss them until she returns them 5 weeks later.

So Harper has turned in an emergency to David Emerson, the BC Liberal who leaped across the floor after the last election to accept a cabinet position in Harper's government. And what does it tell you about Harper when the only capable person in his government is a former Liberal. Harper has asked Emerson to also take on the job of Foreign Minister because he has no one else who is up to the job.

And please ... do not mention Jim Flaherty, the right wing whacko who thinks tax cuts are the answer to everything. Economic policy of this beetle brain? - kick the crap out of Ontario, tell the world there are 100 reasons why you shouldn't invest here - and then be ignorant enough to expect applause and approval from all Canadians for short-circuiting one of the major pillars of our nation's economic well-being. Only a Reform rutabago would make such specious arguments and act so destructively.

The secretiveness of this government is pathetic - and scary. The Star has done a week-long series about it - it's primarily a puff piece but at least it has gathered in one place a synopsis of some the dumb things this government has done.

A brilliant synopsis - and not without its painful side if you're a Liberal, is the Globe and Mail cartoon in today's paper (Sat. May 31, 2008). Journalism in Canada today is in a deplorable state with very few people able to write intelligently on any subject but thank heavens for Gable and Rex Murphy, two of the few new professionals who are worth reading.

Gable's brilliant and devastatingly funny cartoon is a signal that the passing of time certainly has answered the question of whether a government under Stephane Dion would be better. It is now abundantly clear that it could not be worse - and the degree of difference doesn't matter because any improvement is welcome.

If you want further indication of how badly Harper's judgement is, read the Star story today on page 3 about how his staff is falling flat on its collective face on the international junkets with Harper. Like Peter MacKay, they are naive, unsophisticated, and shallow beyond belief. And the trouble is all Canadians are being lumped in with these air heads.

Stephane - pull the plug - it is now way overdue to send these buffoons back to the swamp from which they came.