As you know Stephen Harper has a terrible image problem. His numbers are tanking, his personal popularity is about as low as it has ever been.
He can't call himself a Great Economist Leader without risking being charged with fraud.
Many are calling him Great Chicken Turkey Leader, and hardly anyone believes a word he says.
So this latest desperate move can only make matters worse.
Well there he was waving happily as he set off for Ukraine to pander to the ethnic vote. Again.
And no doubt Stephen Harper WAS happy, because if that plane didn't have wings we'd have to call it a getaway car.
For at least now he won't be in Parliament next week to answer questions about the latest senate scandal.
Or the latest example of his appalling judgement.
Twas the night before Parliament, and at 24 Sussex Drive not a creature or a mouse rat was stirring.
Except in the dark basement where Stephen Harper was planning his triumphal return, after his golden photo-op summer.
And no doubt rehearsing his new role as Indiana Harper or Great Explorer Leader. The man, who in his mind at least, led the successful search for the Franklin expedition.
As I'm sure you remember...
But sadly for him I fear his flight voyage of fancy will be short-lived.
Well there I was today in the north of Scotland, when I thought I saw a mysterious creature in this little bay.
At first I thought it was another kind of Nessie. Or a big fat dolphin.
But then I realized it wasn't eh?
It was only Moby Duff...
Getting ready to dive dive dive !!!! And take down Stephen Harper.
Oh goody. It looks as if my favourite show Senategate is back.
With the whole cast of characters ready to entertain us again.
And now even MORE exciting than before.
With the RCMP going after the PMO !!!!
Well he must be feeling pretty good these days. It must be his happy hour.
Parliament is shutdown so he doesn't have to answer any questions about any of his many scandals.
Or his foul voter suppression bill.
Instead he can pose as a champion of democracy in Ukraine, harvest the ethnic vote, and dream of stealing the next election.
But unfortunately for him it is too good to be true. It is just an illusion.
I must admit Justin Trudeau's move to boot the Liberal senators from his caucus caught me by surprise, and it is certainly a bold one.
Justin Trudeau has dissolved a vital bond between senators and the Liberal Party that appointed them, expelling dozens of members of his caucus in a dramatic attempt to reshape the Senate without a constitutional debate.
It makes Trudeau look more decisive, it steals some of Tom Mulcair's thunder on the Senate issue, as well as the original idea. It might help shield the Liberals a bit from an upcoming audit of Senate expenses. And it places Stephen Harper in a difficult situation.
OMG. Praise the Lord and pass the garlic. I see the Dark Parson of the Manning Centre is blaming the media for the Senate scandal.
A great deal of media attention has been paid these past few months to the ethics, or alleged lack thereof, of senators Pamela Wallin and Mike Duffy. Much less attention has been paid to the likelihood that the ethics of both are at least partially rooted in their training and experience as prominent members of the media.
And I see some in the media are firing back, albeit reluctantly.
Though I am not crazy about the media circling the wagons against criticism (we can be remarkably thin-skinned), I believe Mr. Manning deserves a reply, particularly because I have long respected and admired him.
By gently pointing out that one should not judge others, lest your own Cons be judged.
Well I finally got to screen Stephen Harper's year end interview with Global TV, and it was one of the weirdest interviews I've ever seen.
And one of the most chilling.
For there was Harper sitting in what looked like a set from A Christmas Story.
But sounding like a character out of the Nightmare Before Christmas.
He's gone to ground. He can't be found. He's hiding from the media. Even his Twitter feed has gone silent.
He's trying to make the sordid Senate scandal disappear by disappearing himself.
But even from the safety of his hideout, he's lashing out at those he considers his enemies.
Well I see Stephen Harper's trip to the Mandela funeral started off on a high note, with a macabre political version of the Mile High Club.
With Harper obviously glad to leave the sordid Senate scandal behind him, and consorting with three former Prime Ministers.
Even tweeting this photo of him and his old arch enemy Jean Chretien...
But I did notice that Great Ugly Leader was the only one drinking, and no wonder eh?
As I watched Stephen Harper being grilled by Tom Mulcair today I couldn't help being struck by how beaten he looked.
How the fight seems to have gone out of him. At one point after slumping into his seat, he even let Paul Calandra the Con buffoon answer a question from Mulcair, something he never does.
Only to be forced back to his feet by Mulcair with this question:
And you can see what I mean eh? He's there but he isn't.
And it all made me ask myself the same question John Ivison asks today: Is Stephen Harper getting ready to RESIGN?
Well he wasn't in the House of Commons today to answer questions about the latest twist in his sordid Senate scandal.
No doubt recovering from his long musical set at a Jewish community fundraiser the night before. Or too busy promoting his boring hockey book in downtown Toronto this morning.
So he didn't have to try to explain why his PMO lawyer's e-mails mysteriously disappeared.
Golly. It's a miracle I tell you. Remember how the Cons told us that Benjamin Perrin's e-mails had been deleted when he left the PMO?
So we couldn't determine what that PMO lawyer told Stephen Harper about the Duffy deal.
Well it turns out that was just another oops, or another Big Lie.
OMG. I can hardly believe my furry ears. But a strange sound is coming from the Con Castle.
And no, it's not the sound of Great Scandalous Leader standing in front of a mirror, and screaming "I know NOTHING !@#!!!" Over and over again. To see which one looks more credible.
No, it seems that one of his faithful traitorous followers, Michael Chong, is planning a revolt of the Con sheeple !!!!!
It was cold and dark tonight by the lake where I live. Like it usually is in late November, in Canada.
But at least for the first time there was a sprinkling of snow on the ground to brighten up the gloom.
Which is more than I can say about Harperland, where it just keeps getting darker and more dangerous.
For just look what we learned about that monstrous regime today.
I must admit when I first saw the headline "THE SENATE SCANDAL'S OUT OF LEGS !!!!" I was shocked, and my heart dived into my boots.
I felt like running to a window, opening it wide, and screaming: "Nooooo !!! Nooooo !!! How could this be HAPPENING ??!!#!@!!
How low can we go ?!@#!!!! How dumb are my people !#@!#!!! How short their attention spans !#@!#!!!
But luckily it was too cold to open the window eh? And it was only Margaret Wente.
Well there he was again today answering all questions about the Senate scandal by repeating the same mantra.
Nigel Wright and Mike Duffy are the ones responsible. That's why Duffy is no longer a member of the Conservative caucus, that's why I fired Wright.
But for some reason not explaining why he hasn't fired Irving Gerstein, the Con bagman-in-chief.
It seemed only appropriate that at one point in today's Question Period Stephen Harper looked like he was praying.
But who can blame him eh?
Because the day of reckoning has finally arrived. And as Paul Wells wrote today, you can't polish a turd.
Well he wasn't in the House of Commons today to answer any questions about the Senate scandal.
No doubt recovering from his latest attempt to try to improve his image by posing as a man of the people. Which can't be easy when you're a millionaire.
And you have to go to a football game to try to make yourself look popular.
But of course, it's not hard to understand why Stephen Harper is so afraid of saying anything eh?
Not when he's caught between a rock and a hard place.
