Just Stopped In to Say Hi

I've been away for a couple of weeks and it seemed almost like a reprieve from the daily drudgery of right versus left. Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Darfur and Washington were all monitored from a distance that created a somewhat fresh, if no more optimistic, perspective.

Then there's Stephen Harper. Having seen one initiative after another falter and collapse and in the wake of a dismal caucus retreat that did nothing to rejuventate Canada's Stalled Government, Harpo now seems to have found a niche issue - the Arctic.

It's a no-brainer. A clear cut issue of Canadian sovereignty under threat from those Russian bastards we spent half a century learning to distrust. While most Canadians never venture further north than cottage country we none the less hold this soulful attachment to our country's "far north." We see it as something that belongs to us that is worth defending. Even Jack Layton understands the enormous political impact of the Arctic.

The Arctic is an issue that ideally suits both Stephen Harper's strengths and his weaknesses. No one cares if you have the personality of a sandbag when it comes to this sort of issue. There's no East versus West landmines to weave through. It is perhaps the lone issue on which right and left, at least for now, seem to agree. The Arctic offers all the benefits of being a "wartime prime minister" without the ugly necessity of an actual war and the all the risks that entails.

The Arctic is an issue that can be used to manipulate public opinion. Granted it's not the same as squadrons of red-starred bombers over Toronto but that's not necessary to instil a measure of anxiety and a sudden desire among the electorate for a steely tough leader. It is not difficult to subtly depict the Arctic of the 21st century as the Hungary of the 50's or the Czechoslovakia of the 60's facing the approaching threat of a ravenous and omiverous Red Bear.

Harper watched how his American Idol was able to manipulate the emotions of his people to distract them and allow him to pursue legislative goals that would otherwise have blown up in his face. Imagine taking your nation to war and cutting taxes for the rich at the same time, leading to huge deficits - and managing to get re-elected, albeit with a good dose of chicanery.

I expect Harper to try to showcase the Arctic as "his" issue, to use it as a foil to cast the already-bookish Dion as weak and not fit for the challenge. How can a leader hope to become prime minister if the voters perceive him as unable to defend them and their country?

Which brings me again to the same old question, where in hell is Stephane Dion? A Google search showed me he's been carping about some free trade deal with South Korea. Apparently he wants to protect the right of Canada's automakers to freely sell their cars in South Korea as if that's likely to happen. I guess it scores some points in Windsor and Oshawa but, beyond that, who cares?

No, Stephane Dion has used the summer break to all but consign himself to obscurity. Just because he won the student council election doesn't mean the kids are going to make him King on Prom Night, the runoff that counts.

The coming election is an extremely critical election. Treating any election as anything less than critical is to embrace defeat. The one leader who is not showing that he gets that is Stephane Dion. That the Liberals are tied with the Conservatives isn't because of Stephane Dion. It's despite him.

I'm going away again. See you in a week or two.