BILLARY'S ADVENTURE IN PLAYLAND

If you are an Obama fan, as many of my visitors are, you might enjoy Colbert J. King's op-ed in today's Washington Post.

It is a scathing attack on the Clintons, to whom he refers as a tag team called Billary. It is really hard not to factor this in as another African-American columnist delivering a blow below the belt.

I think the article is full of insubstantial personal jabs but he does make at least one good point when he says:

Bill Clinton's jab at Obama's lack of experience. To elect Obama would be to "roll the dice," sniffed the former president. When Bill Clinton ran for president in 1992, he was governor of a small state, had no foreign policy experience and didn't know how to salute. He got his on-the-job experience in the White House.

EMPTY CHAIRS IN THE ECHO CHAMBER

It has been nearly eight months since the legislature in Newfoundland and Labrador sat. The last day that our MHA's were seated in their seats was on June 14th. Over a dozen of the men and women who occupied the green seal skin chairs, including the Speakers Chair, have retired or were defeated in the last election.

The 44 Progressive Conservatives, 3 Liberals and the lone New Democrat elected last October have not sat in the House of Assembly. I stand to be corrected but this must be the single longest closures of the legislature since Confederation, rivaled only by reign of the Commission of Government back in the 30's and 40's.

I did not agree with the Government's decision not to open the people's house last fall. The excuse at the time was that there was no new legislation, members were new and a time of orientation was needed for new cabinet minsters. Even businesses hold shareholder meetings more regularly than our legislature has been open over the past twelve months.

The Telegram is running an article today that explains that the new ethics code governing the conduct of MHA's which was one of Chief Justice Green's recommendations can not be implemented or drafted until the House of Assembly re-opens and the Standing Committee on privileges and elections is is appointed.

The spring session is coming but it is a black mark on the Williams administration that our democratic representatives, elected by the people to serve in the people's house have not sat in session for three quarters of a year.

This government has been going in the right direction with fixed terms, legislative reform, electoral reform, financial reforms and the implementation of much of the Green Report. It is time to legislate fixed dates for the opening of fall and spring sessions in the House of Assembly. This should never happen again!

THERE IS MORE ORE IN THEM THERE HILLS

Mining towns often have a shelf life not much longer than the commercial viability of the non-renewable resource being extracted. They are often remote, one industry towns. Some survive afterwards as pale imitations of their former selves. Wabanna, Buchan's, Daniel's Harbor are all examples of former mining towns in our province that have experienced the closure of mining operations.

I spent some time working in Labrador City and Wabush as a broadcast journalist in the 1980's. Since then the area has opened up a great deal with the Trans-Labrador Highway and improved highway 389 through Quebec.

In the early 1960's the iron deposits at Carol Lake were developed and a construction camp grew into a modern town. In 1965 another mine was developed a few kilometers away on the shores of Wabush Lake. Over the past forty years two towns have developed, expanded and grown in population adjacent to the mines. They have a combined population of 10,000 people.

Labrador City still has significant reserves of iron ore but the company is identifying new deposits and they happen to be close to infrastructure developed outside of the original camp site. Plans for a new hospital and an extension to the College of the North Atlantic are on hold because the sites identified turn out to be sitting close to rich deposits of iron ore. The Ski Hill, which when I was there was the training site for the national ski team, is full of the mineral as well. Much of the outskirts of Labrador City may well be sitting on the next phase of the ore body which is the town's meaning of existence. An interesting quandry indeed for town planners and the company.

PRIMARY DAY IN SOUTH CAROLINA

"You've got an African-American, and a woman and ... John.
Barick Obama

It's the first primary in a southern state this cycle and the 54 delegates that are up for grabs in South Carolina are important as the race is close. The South Carolina Primary has exposed some significant fractures in the Democratic Party. The race has gotten ugly and it is getting harder to paint it over as just the symptoms of a competitive contest.

Race has seeped into the campaign and the extent of a potential polarization of support around race will be evident only after the votes are counted.

Senator Obama is leading Senator Clinton by 10% going into today's vote. The last couple of days have not gone well for the Obama campaign as allegations of his so called "present votes" and his ties to indicted Chicago embezzler Tony Rezko have garnered lots of headlines while voters were making up their minds.

Senator Clinton has not spend as much time campaigning in the state as her husband, former President Bill Clinton, has. This is going to be a tough decision for African Americans who have been strong supporters of Clinton in the past.

Obama has not won a contest since Iowa and this is one he wants. His campaign has pulled out all the stops. John Kerry endorsed his run for the Democratic campaign in South Carolina even though his former running mate Senator Edwards is from that state. The stakes are high for Obama as he needs a win. A close win for him will not be be good enough to take him to the finish. A loss will be a significant hit. Clinton just has to do well. A win would be seen as a big upset.

The ironic note is that Senator Edwards is trailing in third place in his native state. It is unlikely that he is going to make any major inroads.

WELLS HAS TO RESIGN AS MAYOR

The Telegram's editorial on Mayor Andy Wells' approach to his future as mayor was right on the money. As I have said democracy is expensive but a by-election has to be called right after Wells does the right thing and resigns. All we need now is for politicians to start canceling elections as cost saving measures.

If I were the Premier, I think I would be good and pissed about the controversy that is swirling around the issue of the mayor staying on after he accepts his new position as CEO of the Public Utilities Board. His new employer should be demanding he give up the Mayor's chair before starting his new job, or revoke the appointment. Either he is going to dedicate the time to the role or he is not.

For those of you that missed the Telegram's editorial, here it is:

Sjevk it out
The Telegram

For days now, we haven’t been able to figure it out.
Anyone who writes to the paper or comments on the issue seems to be of one mind: Mayor Andy Wells can’t stay on as mayor, not after accepting a job as the head of the province’s Public Utilities Board.

Wells himself has said he’d follow the direction that seemed right, but so far has kept both jobs, saying the combined annual salary of some $265,000 — somewhere around $5,000 a week — is actually a savings to the city, because holding a byelection to replace him would cost so much.

But his position hasn’t had much traction with the public, who by and large see the move as a Wellsian money-grab.

You’d think that would be how Wells saw it, too. After all, when Members of the House of Assembly were first discovered padding their constituency allowances, Wells railed against them as “kleptocrats,” and if you talked to him, he was palpably furious that people in public positions would take such advantage.

While democracy is clearly expensive, neither the provincial government, the federal government nor municipalities have proclaimed that one way to save money would to be to cancel every second election and just let politicians holds their jobs for twice as long.

Sure, there would be savings, but then again, well, long-in-the-tooth politicians always seem to believe they deserve more than their fair share, so the costs would pile up that way instead.

But then we got to thinking: Wells is a thoughtful and well-read fellow, one who is not above taking part in a prank — remember his newspaper cover-photo on an alternative newspaper wearing a bondage ball-gag? — and maybe this is all a form of protest in support of the Williams government, his new employer.

Apparently, in the Czech Republic, there’s a history of bringing issues to public attention using practical jokes or outlandish stunts; the deadpan, under-the-breath style of humour is actually a way of making a point that flies under the radar of invaders or totalitarian governments.

The humorous sport is sometimes called Sjevking because of a reference to a Czech literary figure in Jaroslav Hasek’s “The Good Soldier Sjevk.” The character is credited with creating a worldview where Czechs take a much more generous view than most of even serious pranks — like the arts group who recently hacked into a Czech television weather-cam and put up false video of a Czech town being hit by a nuclear explosion — once the joke has been “outed” and explained.
Maybe, like the Czechs, Wells is using droll humour to make a point about entitlement, and maybe, just maybe, he’s suggesting we’re the Czechs of Canada, suffering at the hands of supposed Conservative overlords.

You’re kidding around, right, Mr. Wells? This is just a bad joke gone wrong? You’re just sjevking us here? Not just waiting for the attention to die down and keep doubling-billing because it suits your financial ends?

Let’s hope so. Otherwise his past protests about politicians would be hypocritical at best.

ALLEGATIONS SURFACE THAT MULRONEY ACCEPTED CASH AT 24 SUSSEX

Brian Mulroney's former Chief of Staff, Norman Spector may be bringing forth some unwelcome revelations about more cash payments that the former Prime Minister might have received. . According to a CTV report the payments are alleged to have occurred while Mulroney was Prime Minister and were received at 24 Sussex Avenue.

Apologists of Brian Mulroney are saying these are old allegations and that Spector has an axe to grind.

Spector has confirmed he will be a witness before the House Of Commons Ethics Committee when it resumes next week. He says he will be coming prepared with documents to back up his recollections.

He is quoted in La Devoir as saying:

"Finally, documents in hand, I believe myself quite capable of helping them identify the source of large quantities of money carried to 24 Sussex while Mr. Mulroney was prime minister of Canada.''

Investigative journalist Stevie Cameron's 1994 book "On The Take" cited a chef at 24 Sussex saying he transferred thousands of dollars in cash between the Prime Minister's Office and Mila Mulroney, the prime minister's wife. Francois Martin also told Cameron he saw Mulroney removing cash from a large safe in the basement of the official residence

Of course Cameron and her sources fell suspect when Mulroney demanded and got n apology and a huge cash settlement out of the Government Of Canada for smearing his reputation when investigating possible cash payments that the former Prime Minister said he never received.

The CONservatives are saying this is all old hat and they are not expecting anything earth shattering. Considering that which was old and discredited is now being looked at a heck of a lot differently since Brian started admitting he forgot to pay taxes on some income that he received in cash.

Gonna be another interesting week.

ANOTHER OPINION ON KRISTA ERICKSON

Brent Mazerolle
MODERN LIFE
Published Friday January 25th, 2008
Appeared on page D8

Oh-oh. I think I missed that in journalism school, the part where you're NOT supposed to find legal, creative ways to pursue the truth and question the awesome power of the state.

I also missed the bit about never cultivating contacts, swapping information and living in the gray area where finding out what's going on sometimes means getting your hands a bit dirty.

Turns out reporters and politicians should only go to the same cocktail parties because they share a passion for marbled cheddar in little cubes, not to actually talk to each other.

Ditto that seminar where they said in J school to ignore the cherished democratic tradition of the news media acting as an unofficial opposition party.

Worst of all, I missed that footnote at the end of all those years of study where they tell you to disregard everything they said about your duty to work in the public interest.

Oh, if only I had actually gone to journalism school, instead of just hearing about it from my colleagues.

I might better understand why the state-funded CBC sold out one of its star reporters this week in an embarrassing act of deference to its political masters.

Now I'll admit this tempest in a teapot, which right-wing bloggers are calling a "Scandal" with a capital S, may not have been as compelling to you as it was to us reporters. So if you weren't paying attention, here's a re-cap.

Reporter Krista Erickson wanted to question Brian Mulroney about lobbying efforts he may or may not have made toward the current Conservative government of Stephen Harper. Mulroney had been called before a commons ethics committee looking into the Karlheinz Schreiber affair, but was not compelled to speak to the news media.

Without direct access to Mulroney, Erickson apparently got a Liberal MP on the committee to ask her questions for her. Because the interests of the reporter and the interests of the Liberal MP happened to coincide in this instance, the Conservatives came to the convenient conclusion the reporter must clearly be a Liberal.

Now any fan of the CBC will sniff at my suggestion that Canada's state radio and television would ever kowtow to Ottawa. We're not puppets, CBC employees themselves would protest. Funny though, whether the federal government is pulling marionette strings or controlling the purse strings, the result is the same. There are still strings attached.

Lest anyone think I am a Liberal, let me emphasize the Liberals come off even worse than the CBC in this. How embarrassing that their MP apparently couldn't come up with questions on his own.

Since I don't want to leave anybody out, let me add that though Erickson's questions were earnest and well-intentioned, they were in fact somewhat irrelevant, so I'm surprised she didn't approach the NDP instead.

Meanwhile I commend the Tories for their street smarts. Like Krista Erickson, they saw a chance to score a couple points in the big game and went for it. Unlike Krista Erickson, they managed to pull it off.

If only Richard Nixon's administration had footed the bills at the Washington Post. They could have got Ben Bradlee to publicly scold Woodward and Bernstein for some of their more aggressive actions, maybe name Deep Throat in the mix. Hmmm, do you suppose any of Woodward and Bernstein's sources in their pursuit of the Republicans were Democrats? Surely they were biased and should have been reassigned to Toronto too.

I'm of course not suggesting there is anything like Watergate amiss here, but when the current Canadian prime minister needs to call an inquiry into the actions of a former prime minister he has publicly called his mentor, surely journalists have a right to ask more probing questions and be a bit more relentless than the folks over at Entertainment Tonight.

With the rare public accounting of its disciplinary action against of one of its employees, the national broadcaster has apparently Muldisagreed.

The decision to transfer Erickson to Toronto, though admittedly not a backwater exile, could have been done without naming her. Everybody would have figured it out anyway.

But name her the CBC did, faintly protesting the seasoned reporter was not politically motivated. They chose instead to belittle her abilities by criticizing her "journalistic zeal" as if she was some cub reporter.

"Given the potential risk to the journalistic credibility of our Ottawa bureau, its reporters and CBC News generally, we have chosen on an exceptional basis to make the detailed outcome of our disciplinary process available to you, our employees and the public at large." the CBC John Cruickshank wrote to the federal Conservatives.

Exceptional indeed, but hardly something that does anything for the CBC's credibility.

As for Krista, well if the CBC won't appreciate her, there's always some real hard hitting journalism to be done elsewhere. I suggest she drop off a resume to Entertainment Tonight.

JOURNALISTIC STANDARDS AND PRACTICES: CBC WHITEWASH

It seems that the publisher at the CBC web page has written a defense of the corporation's decision to punish reporter Krista Erickson for doing her job rather than defend her against the CBC hating CONservative government. John Cruickshank says Erickson was collaborating with the Official Opposition and that impression of partiality is a problem for the CBC. Yet he says:

I accept the reporter's explanation that she did not do this to advantage the Liberals or hurt the Conservatives — that she just wanted answers for her story.

Mulroney would not answer direct questions from the media, so the reporter sends her questions to someone who was at the table and could ask the questions in a public session. Now the MP is a bit of an idiot here. Not only could he come up with his own questions, he was too lazy to rewrite the question that the reporter gave to him.

I still have no issue with a reporter working her contacts to get answers.

DANNYS MUG SHOT

The Bond Papers has a great cartoon from a Halifax Paper. I want to reproduce it here but it just seems right to direct you there. It is Danny's Mug Shot. lol!

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE THE PRIMARY...

I wonder what the Democratic front runners are dreaming about tonight?

CBC BRASS PANDERS TO THE CONSERVATIVES

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation concluded this week that one of their reporters acted inappropriately when she fed questions to a Liberal MP during the Mulroney-Schreiber hearings in December. Krista Erickson has been transferred to Toronto from the Ottawa Parliamentary Office.

It was a rare public flaying that smacks of political pandering to the CONservatives. I guess the brass at the Mother Corporation felt it was important to show the Prime Minister that they were not involved in some conspiracy to get at the truth and were not partisan. The reporter, the CBC claims was just overzealous.

Now I have worked as journalist and as a political hack. I have been spun and I have been the spinner. What line did this reporter cross? Am I being told that reporters do not discuss ongoing investigations with politicians, that politicians do not discuss potential questions and issues with reporters. That they do not help each other fill the gap sometimes. I.e., a reporter looks for a comment from a politician to get a story started or a politician gives a reporter a bit of a tip and a file to research and confirm.

MP's, MHA's, city councilors and school council members should be able to approach journalists for advice, particularity journalists that are assigned a certain beat and report on it all the time. They have an unbiased nonpartisan perspective. I really do not see any ethical issue here unless that reporter is providing that individual with unfair press coverage or advantages. People should be able to discuss and trade information, as long as they are not breaking the law. Disciplining a reporter for being "overzealous" by giving information to an MP seems to be out of line.

I find there is a fair amount of hypocrisy going on in this particular circumstances or am I missing something. Or is this one of those things where you turn a blind eye until someone gets caught and than you disown them.

TICKET TO RIDE: EUROPE

Ticket To Ride is a pretty popular game at my house. If we are not playing it at the table, chances are that I might be sneaking in an on-line game. There are a couple of variations on the original which each have a few additional rules, making game play fresh and forcing players to adopt new strategies.

I have played Ticket to Ride: Europe online a few times but never with real people until recently. Downtown Comics had a 25% discount on boardgames in January and last pay day I could not resist the urge. I know it is just after Christmas, but what the heck. We played and it is a lot of fun.

It's much more than a new map. There are lots of new features like tunnels, ferries and train stations. It's a stand alone new game, not an expansion. It allows for five people and takes any where from a half an hour to sixty minutes to play. All of the cards are full size which means they are lot easier to shuffle than the small cards that came with the original Ticket.

The game feels different than the original. There are a lot more shorter routes, the focus is on the center and there are many more ways to get from point a to b. There are a lot more routes but they are more spread out.

There is a variation in the destination cards. There six long route cards valued at 20 or 21 points that are really long trips. At the start of the game you get 3 normal route cards and one long ticket. All the unused long route cards get dealt out. You get just one chance to accept one.

There are two new special types of routes in this game, tunnels and ferries. This is the big departure from the original ticket lies. Tunnels might take more cards than the number of spaces on the board. When you decide to claim a tunnel route you lay out your cards, then flip up 3 cards from the draw deck. Any cards that match your selected color mean that you have to play that many more cards of the appropriate color to finish the route. If you can't, you take your cards back into your hand, having effectively lost your turn. You can try again next turn, if you desire.

Ferries are gray routes which show one or two engines on the track. When you lay out the appropriate number of cards, it must include at least that 1 or 2 engines.

The other big difference is the train stations. You select a city without a station in it currently, then you play 1 card if it's your first station, two matched cards if it's your second, and three matched cards if it's your third. Stations will help you connect routes in the endgame, but playing them loses you points. This a cool new addition because it is much harder for your opponents to cut off your routes meaning you should be able to complete them.

The game ends when one player has two or less trains in your hand.

It is a fine addition to our game collection and I encourage you to try it. If you're in the St. John's area and you play Ticket or want to learn, drop me a line. We are always looking for new players.

NEIGHBOURS

There was a time when your neighbours were your back-up, your life-line, your extended family. When I was a kid growing up in St. Bernard's everyone was your neighbour. In a small town I guess that's the way it is. You know everyone and they know you. You hardly had to bother to knock or give any advance notice of a visit. A place to borrow an egg or some sugar. If someone in your family was ill, or in need, the community came together in support.

It just seems ironic that as the world gets smaller our neighbourhoods have become more distant. Your home is your castle, a place to escape from the world and the door is not always open. You may or may not bother to get to know the people who live next you, let alone who ever else lives on your street.

When I lived downtown, I looked forward to a warm sultry evening because I could be assured people would be sitting out front catching a breeze and talking. In winter, as soon as the winds would die down the doors would swing open and the community digging would begin. They would usually end with a drink at someones house. We might not have had a lot in common but we had a sense of community.

For the past five years we have lived on a little cul de sac in the east end of the city. I certainly know everyone on the street. It is probably because of my community involvement and canvassing for causes and knocking on doors for campaigns.

We all watch out for one another's property when we go away, cut each other's grass and snow blow each others driveways. We talk about stuff but there is not as much social interaction. Our homes have become are fortresses, a place to retreat and hide away.

What is the situation in your neighburhood. Do you know your neighbors? Is there a lot of interaction?

RIGHT TO LIFE ADS OVER THE TOP

Metrobus has yanked a Right to Life Association ad campaign off its buses after learning that the information on the ads was not accurate. Apparently the Canadian Code of Advertising was breached and the ad was misleading.

The spokesperson for the Right To Life Association made a comment at a recent meeting that I attended indicating that anyone could access an abortion up to the ninth month of pregnancy, which is not correct.

It never helps anyone's campaign to make erroneous comments. Stick to the facts, Paddy! Of course there is something a little hypocritical about a male spokesmen telling women what they can and cannot do to their own bodies.

HELP CATCH A THIEF

I have always liked Dave McGrath. He is a no-nonsense type of fella who would do anything for yea but do not earn his scorn. He has a healthy disrespect for politicians and people who take advantage of him. Steal from him and, well, watch out.

Dave and his wife Marlyn own a computer store in Mount Pearl. I met Dave over ten years ago when he was an IT consultant with the Province and we shared a passion for on-line gaming and building computers.

He is in the news today for posting a security video on Youtube of a thief stealing from him.

Last Friday someone walked into his store and walked off with a processor. He caught the entire thing on his security cameras and uploaded it to YouTube. Apparently he has gotten a few tips and handed them over to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary who are investigating.

I hope they nail the SOB. Way to go Dave for using technology and fighting for yourself.

Here is the video:

THE NATIONAL MEDIA ARE FINALLY GETTING IT

Today's Globe and Mail Report on Business has a feature article on Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams.

It is an in-depth article that will go along way toward informing the debate up along on our motivations in this current impasse with the Federal Government. It shows that this is not only a principled fight but the right fight. On balance it is a good article. It looks at where we came from, where we are and where we want to go.

The cover has an obvious intent, but I think in the end the Premier comes off looking like a person with great conviction and passion for his province.

There might be an undercurrent of negativity running through the article toward the Premier and our province but it does clearly show that Harper and the CONservatives have broken commitments, and that Williams is just doing his job and doing it well. If the feedback to the story on the Globe's web page is any indication, our message is getting through.

MCCAIN BEST REPUBLICAN CHOICE: NY TIMES

While the New York Times is decidedly not in the Republican camp, they have picked Senator John McCain as the only Republican in the field to offer the potential of a departure from Bush Republicanism.

It is interesting to see a New York-based paper not support former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. In 1997 they endorsed him for re-election as mayor. They praised him after he emerged as the man who stood fast and firm in the wake of 911.

The real Mr. Giuliani, whom many New Yorkers came to know and mistrust, is a narrow, obsessively secretive, vindictive man who saw no need to limit police power. Racial polarization was as much a legacy of his tenure as the rebirth of Times Square.

It is far from a ringing endorsement but is a recognition of McCain's bi-partisanship and departure from Bush.

NEW YORK TIMES ENDORSES CLINTON

The primaries continue to be far from decided. The Republicans and the Democrats are running tight races with the top two or three in each party in contention for a win that will not be decided for a while yet.


The New York Times has come out with its endorsement ahead of the February 5th vote. They praise Obama's vision on one hand but question his ability to deliver:

The sense of possibility, of a generational shift, rouses Mr. Obama’s audiences and not just through rhetorical flourishes. He shows voters that he understands how much they hunger for a break with the Bush years, for leadership and vision and true bipartisanship. We hunger for that, too. But we need more specifics to go with his amorphous promise of a new governing majority, a clearer sense of how he would govern.

The editorial board has endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton:

The next president needs to start immediately on challenges that will require concrete solutions, resolve, and the ability to make government work. Mrs. Clinton is more qualified, right now, to be president.

and

Mrs. Clinton has more than cleared that bar, using her years in the Senate well to immerse herself in national security issues, and has won the respect of world leaders and many in the American military. She would be a strong commander in chief.

AND

She understands that all Americans must be covered — but must be allowed to choose their coverage, including keeping their current plans. Mr. Obama may also be capable of tackling such issues, but we have not yet seen it. Voters have to judge candidates not just on the promise they hold, but also on the here and now.

AND

Her ideas, her comeback in New Hampshire and strong showing in Nevada, her new openness to explaining herself and not just her programs, and her abiding, powerful intellect show she is fully capable of doing just that. She is the best choice for the Democratic Party as it tries to regain the White House.

The entire editorial can be found here.

I agree with this editorial and think that Clinton's perceived experience at a difficult time for American domestic and foreign policy will make bring her back to the Offal Office.

ANOTHER WINTER STORM

The weather is getting worse as the City of St. John's starts to shut down under the impact of heavy snow and winds. Most schools are closed. Many offices are closed and the roads are getting harder to clear.

I am at the office waiting for news of closures, doing something I have not done in a while, listening to VOCM. I am getting a great charge out of Ronalda Legrow who is "out and about" in the VOCM cruiser providing live updates on road conditions as the storm intensifies. She has a lot of energy and is sensationalizing the impact of the storm with descriptions that remind me of those CNN reporters that get thrown into the hurricanes. Trees swaying, waves smashing the sea walls, debris blowing around in the background as they report on the storm that pushes them back and forth while they speak in between grasps of air.

It's entertainment on a snowy day. I am looking forward to more live reports from the VOCM Storm Center. Hang on, another skidding car!

TACTICS CHANGING THE RESULTS

The erosion of the power and influence of traditional political machines in delivering establishment candidates is starting to change the way the political game is played. The success of Barack Obama's campaign in the United States is reflected a little in Scott Andrews' victory in the recent Liberal Party of Canada nomination in the federal riding of Avalon.

Obama has appealed to younger and independent voters. In South Carolina his organization has focussed less on traditional machine politics and endorsements from just the leadership. Instead a new machine is emerging. Neighbourhood organizations and individuals are being targeted in much more deliberate way to bring people who normally do not participate into the process . The new tactics are meeting with great success.

Even at Scott Andrews' young age it is hard to say that he is not a product of machine politics. He is a political animal who grew up immersed in Liberal Party youth politics. He transitioned into research roles in the Liberal Caucus office and earned the top party job of Executive Director. He has a great deal of charisma and energy. His best talent is organizing, but he has that rare combination of being able to perform in the back room and appeal to voters at the front door.

In this contest he had to take on a couple of established and entrenched party machines. Norm Whalen and Wanda Dawe command a great deal of traditional Liberal Party support. Both have been involved in senior roles for decades. Both were senior advisros and supporters of John Efford, whose machine was a formidable force in regional, provincial and federal politics.

Scott pulled together his Liberal support and grew that base. His community relationships paid off as people looking for change joined the party and got out to vote for him, pushing the establishment candidates aside. Scott showed he has appeal outside the tight confines of the envelope of traditional Liberals.

Like Obama, Andrews talks of change in approach and offers a passionate emotional appeal for renewal. The balance of power, the equilibrium is changing. This speaks well for renewal of the Liberal Party. Of course, there is the issue of substance and platforms. I am sure Scott will rise to the occasion and continue to prove his detractors wrong.

SUPER TUESDAY

So I was wondering if there would be any sense in trying to organize a super Tuesday event for us political hacks, scribes and journalist types. We could smoke the peace pipe for a night of watching the American scene. Any one interested? It could be like Christmas day in the trenches.

I HAVE TO BE THE PRESIDENT AGAIN

I love parodies! I love Monty Python. I love Yes Minister! I love Rick Mercer! I love the Arrogant Worms! and I love the Onion. Under the headline, Bill Clinton: Screw It I Am Running For President is a parody news story in which Clinton dives into the race for president.

"No longer will I have to endure watching candidates like Hillary Clinton engaging in single-pump handshakes with voters, as I use every last ounce of restraint not to shout out, 'No! Warm double-clasp! Warm double-clasp!'" Clinton said. "America deserves someone who can do it right."

The entire parody can be found here.

FINANCIAL LITERACY

CBC reporter Neil Macdonald, The National's Washington guy, has posted a really informative article on debt, debt financing, credit cards and financial literacy. Considering the roller coaster ride on Wall Street and Bay Street this past week, it is a very timely piece.

It is hard to know if Bush was serious. But the answer, anyway, is self-evident: If the millions of Americans who can't make their ballooning mortgage payments today knew that they would be hopelessly indebted and facing foreclosure after just a few years of these new arrangements, most of them, presumably, wouldn't have signed. That too many Americans are spend-happy and unable to see past the next minimum payment on their multiple credit cards is pretty obvious, too.

According to the Federal Reserve, the country's central bank, American consumers collectively owe $2.5 trillion, not including mortgages. That is about $22,500 per household in unsecured debt, roughly $8,300 of which is a credit card balance. Nearly half the people in this country spend more than they earn.

Check out the entire article here.

ANOTHER CANADIAN FATALITY IN AFGHANSTAN

Another Canadian soldier is dead and two more injured after a road mine exploded under their vehicle in Afghanistan.

My neighbours across the street have a son who is on his second tour in Afghanistan and every time I hear a report like this I shudder. I imagine that the thousands of Canadians with family and friends there react the same way. My opinion on war has changed a great deal since having three boys of my own. I just cannot imagine the feeling of loss, having watched your children grow and accomplish so much, only to be returned home in a body bag from some far flung corner of the world. It seems like such a waste.

The news comes only a day after former Liberal Cabinet Minister John Manley announced the recommendations of his blue ribbon panel on Canada's future involvement in Afghanistan, that call on NATO to assist with 1,000 new troops or Canada should start the process of withdrawing.

The Toronto Star’s Chantal Hebert said in her column yesterday that the report was a challenge for Parliament. “John Manley has handed Prime Minister Stephen Harper a Rubik’s cube that he cannot solve without Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion.” Unless he gets the 1,000 troops Manley says NATO must provide, he shouldn’t even bother asking Parliament for an extension.

The latest death brings the total number of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan since the mission began in 2002 to 78. One Canadian diplomat has also died on the mission.

There was an interesting post in yesterday's National Post that reviewed the reactions of the pundits to the report.

IN BLACK AND WHITE

Earlier this week I re-posted an editorial from The Advertiser in Grand Falls. I thought the editorial captured the expressed impatience with inattention to local issues. I did not agree with the over all premise that the fight with Ottawa over equalization was a smoke and mirror game. Here is my reply as published in today's edition.

Danny’s racket with the feds is legitimate
PETER WHITTLE
Advertiser

I wish to respond to the editorial of January 17, 2008 in the Advertiser, entitled “A modern-day clash of the titans” by reporter Sue Hickey.

Your argument seems to be that the Premier (Hermes) is a trickster and that he is all fluff and no stuff. That the current battle with the Conservative government in Ottawa is all for show, a diversion.

I want to remind you that this current racket with the federal government is the result of their refusal to honor commitments made to the government and people of this province during the last election. The Harper Conservatives and their three cheerleaders in this province not only kept non-renewable natural resources in the equalization formula but they passed a budget that unilaterally changed the Atlantic Accords.

You talk about some very serious issues. As a person who grew up in rural Newfoundland, I know how much the demographic and economic circumstances have changed over the past 25 years. Progressive Conservative and Liberal governments have come and gone, each has had plans and strategies and select committees. Consultants have gotten rich, while many communities have died.

The ferry crisis in this province is not a new issue, nor is the serious issues with much of our municipal and road infrastructure. A lack of money in the past has made us penny wise and pound-foolish. Cutting back on road maintenance has cost us untold millions in the long run.

Trying to squeeze decades of extra service out of ferries has created a situation where the public has lost confidence in the ferry fleet and safety is being questioned. This is not a new provincial government. They promised a plan to address ferries in 2003 and here we are in 2008 with not a new ferry under construction. These are legitimate concerns that need to be aired.

At this point in our history we have a chance to catch-up. What