Rob Granatstein Says That Stephen Harper is Not a Leader

I agree of course, but Granatstein is one of the most right-wing journalists in the country. If he says that Harper is not a leader, believe me ... he is NOT a leader!

And while the journalist goes into the old nonsense about there not being an opposition, he clearly believes that there is no government either. Harper's disappearing act is leaving him a little puzzled, because while he is nowhere to be found:

...he’s having a summer of implosions ... Too many fumbles on too many non-issues is not the sign of a strong leader. Canadians want to enjoy their summer, want the economy to roll on strongly and don’t want to be bothered by questions about the strength of our PM. By staying in the news, Harper has looked confused and weak, and he’s done it to himself.

Maybe he's at the circus school he built with our infrastructure money.

Judging by the latest fundraising letter, this is a government that has run out of ideas.

There are two other recent columns that I want to talk about though.

One was James Travers, who is one of my favourite columnists. But in his most recent, he suggests that Harper is poised to win another election. Based on what? 31% in the polls, where Alberta always places him higher than warranted? Weird comment for Travers.

The other was Tom Walkom's. As expected it was pretty anti-Liberal, though he does almost, sorta' kinda' say something quite possibly not unflattering to Michael Ignatieff.

But then he went down a strange road. When discussing Ignatieff's education, he makes a point of saying that he attended "high school at Toronto’s elite and privately funded Upper Canada College".

Is there a point to that? Stockwell Day attended private school, Stephen Harper went to school in what his biographer William Johnson describes as a 'WASP' (whites only) neighbourhood and Jason Kenney attended a private Catholic school run by his father. Was Walkom trying to again paint the Liberal leader as an 'elitist'? A little weird.

Michael Ignatieff's father was a high ranking diplomat and he comes from one of the oldest families in Canada. His great-grandfather was George Munro Grant:

In 1867, Nova Scotia was greatly apposed to joining Confederation, until a popular scholar and theologian, George Monro Grant stepped in. It is said that without his involvement, there may not have been a Dominion of Canada, at least not at that time. (Elections Canada: A History of the Vote in Canada, British North America, 1758–1866)

I would not have expected him to attend public school, if for no other reason than security. Besides Upper Canada is a renowned school, so again, Since when is a good education a liability?

But the most bone-headed comment came on Lloyd Mainsbridge when the panel got around to talking about 'Harper's base'. One panelist, I can't remember his name, suggested that since the Libertarians were not large in number, Harper had no base.

Whaaaaaat?

The Libertarians gave up on Harper long ago and are actually now running attack ads against him. Do journalists even try anymore?