Monday, November 23, 2009

AWOL

With Ottawa buzzing about the torture issue, the party leaders assembled for Question Period. All except one, the Prime Minister had another serious matter to attend to, rather than be ACCOUNTABLE. G8 meeting? Nope. Major infrastructure announcement? No. Out of Ottawa, attending to the nation's business? Nada. Just down the hall, poising for a strategic photo-op scheduled for 2:15PM, so utterly meaningless it HURTS? You betcha:




Farcical. What's worse, he can get away with it.

11 comments:

Old School Liberal said...

Is he "Deceivin' Stephen", "Say Anything Steve" or "Snapshot Steve"?

Francesco said...

and this is what you call leadership...seems very arrogant to me..lets hope that canadians start noticing harper's nature and tendencies..this is not prime ministerial in any sense of the word...

Steve V said...

I want to know how the PMO thinks they can pull this off? Harper was away last week, and they schedule this ridiculous photo op right when QP is about to begin. For a government that has nothing to hide, pretty amusing that Harper is holed up in his office to avoid QP.

The good news, Harper is getting some bad press as we speak. I guess he'll have to cancel tomorrow's scheduled visit with the 4 man luge contingent.

penlan said...

It's Harper's usal way of distancing himself from whatever scandal or negativity is going down. Trying to not associate himself with it in the public eye. Let's his Ministers take all questions. Guess he figures if he isn't "seen" or "heard" people will think he has nothing to do with it. Not this time Harper.

Jim said...

"Not this time Harper."

Just wait for the next set of polls.

The Liberals will continue their freefall and will start to worry about losing second party status to the NDP.

The torture issue is not going to gain traction with average Canadians. Lots of us "simple" folks see it as the Liberals calling out the Forces, not the government.

The Libs are doomed to fail by drawing attention to this, especially now that the MSM is starting to go back in time a little.

farwestie said...

C'mon, guys, at least he wasn't over at Timmie's flavour-testing a new donut.

CuzBen said...

"Lots of us "simple" folks see it as the Liberals calling out the Forces, not the government."

Next you'll say the Liberals hate lacrosse.

Go on.

ottlib said...

Jim,

It's not the crime it is the cover-up that will get the Conservatives.

I happen to disagree with you about Canadians not getting worked up about torture. I do believe that most Canadians believe Canada to be a country of honour that does not condone torture and does not participate in it even on the periphery.

Perhaps, I am wrong. It would appear you have no problem with it.

But I do know that most people do not like being lied to. It really pisses them off.

I do agree with you however that such sentiments will not be reflected in the polls any time soon. These are the sleeper issues that come back to bite governments on the ass during elections. They also contribute to the false sense of security that government supporters, like you, feel because the polls do not seem to move.

I remember feeling the same way when the Sponsorship Scandal did not cause the Liberal numbers to decrease in between elections. No one cares I thought. My, was I wrong.

Steve V said...

If it's such a nothing issue, that Canadians don't care about, that will also embarrass the Liberals, then why the resistance to an inquiry?? If it's all a big whoop, why is Harper hiding out in his office? I would like some reporter to tell us when the LAST time Harper was on Parliament Hill and DIDN'T attend QP. I can't recall a singular incident, which speaks volumes to just how little this means to the PMO. Actions speak louder than words.

As an aside, the Cons are also trying to get Mulroney on the stand this week, so they can avoid the spectacle when Harper travels to China. Yes, no worries.

As an aside II, speaking of the polls, I recall FIVE months ago, all the same punditry predicting a Lib victory, Harper DONE.

A Eliz. said...

I read some Western paper today that said Harper made the people mad at the Golden Temple, his Security ordered people around..the Congregation could not enter,
..it was so bad that he should have gone there to speak to the Indian PM and then come right home.

rockfish said...

Notice his photo op didn't provide any 'light-shedding moments' with the press... afraid that his knowledge of the long stick may be called out?
Darn, if I hadn't already seen this movie before, with GWB making like 'mission accomplished' and 'question my government, support the enemy' kind of trash. Maybe that's why worms like Jim and Wilson have their panties in knots these days.