[Zipperfish]

OnTheIce OnTheIce:

So he has a level of admiration for a dictatorship that has allowed them to turn their economy around yet how much admiration can you have for a country with the human rights record that they do?

It was a poor choice of words. A political mistake.

Even Liberals around the Country are coming out saying just as much. Perhaps you'll soon take off the partisan blinders and realize that it was a dumb thing to say.

Yes, I'll be one saying it was a political mistake. I think Andrew Coyne nailed it. Everyone has gaffes, but in this case it showed insight into an "undisciplined and cluttered mind." I mean, how hard is it to manage a softball question thrown at a Liberal supporter event.

I also agree that the standard line on China is to cluck about their human rights record, but not loud enough that they can hear you. Especially when your entire energy strategy and tens, if not hundreds, of billions of dollars is riding on maintaining good relations with them.

[Jabberwalker]

The Liberals are searching around for a certain "electable type". They tried the "Intellectual appeal" with Ignatief. They are now experimenting with a photogenic famous name.

Wouldn't it be nice if they actually had a real ideology along with a platform that Canadians could agree with? They haven't had either of those in a very long time and the whole party apparatus seems to be geared towards achieving that certain electable "look".

[andyt]

The Libs were never about ideology. That's what got them elected so long - take positions from either side of the spectrum. They basically do reflect Canada, fiscally in the middle, socially liberal. They just became more corrupt the longer they were in power, and needed to reboot. Thing is that everybody is crowding the middle now, NDP and Conservatives both. Not much room for the Libs to separate themselves to stand out. So they're sort of lost, looking for a way.

Harper, otoh, has his red meat base, he can rely on, and they won't abandon him even as he is smart enough not to enact policies that the base wants. He'll throw em a tough on crime bone once in a while. Harper's and the Conservatives' problem is the longer they are in power, the more corrupt they will become too. As some point they'll probably go the way of the Liberals. Whether the Liberals or NDP fill the void is anybody's guess, as is when Canadians will have finally had enough of the Conservatives.

[stemmer]

He has his father's last name and his mother's brains....