Shots fired!

Last night's second-round English debate was fun. The format was far more engaging and conducive to actual "debate". Steve Paiken of TVO did a fantastic job as moderator, asking tough, intelligent questions and poking/prodding the candidates in all the right places.

The clear winner of the evening was Stephen Harper. I hate to overuse this phrase, (Blog Parrot Syndrome, or BPS, is a problem when everyone is talking about the same thing), but Mr. Harper was looking and sounding VERY Prime Ministerial last night. He didn't rise to repeated (read: desperate) challenges issued by Martin (ie. patriotism, Notwithstanding Clause, etc). He simply shrugged them off with an air of "I don't have time for your petty mudslinging and over-the-top emotional grandstanding. Here are the facts, Canada..." Harper was completely on message all night: Liberal scandal(s)? Check. Liberal arrogance? Yessir. Liberal dishonesty? Can I get an AMEN??? He tore Martin apart on gun control/crime fighting, coming across like a very determined LEADER who is dead serious about cleaning up the streets. He managed to sidestep becoming embroiled in the unity issue in a way that didn't seem evasive - he simply let Duceppe and Martin go at it in the corner. Oh, and he has also minimized his trademark smarmy smirk, which might make it easier for Canadians to buy what he's selling. At the end of the night, the strength of Harper's performance lay in the ease with which he responded to the questions and the comfort and confidence he radiated at the podium. If you're looking for a "knock-out blow" (gah! BPS!!), I'd say that was it.

I won't go into a huge post-mortem on our current Prime Minister's performance last night, suffice it to say that the term "post-mortem" has rarely been more appropriately employed.
Martin was, again, painful to watch. He still cannot choke out a coherent, meaningful response to any issue without gratuitous use of the words "basically", "fundamentally" or "very, very important". He flaps. He flails. He stutters and stammers. He jibbers and jabbers. You've heard me go on about this before, so I won't belabour the point. On actual issues, Martin came up pretty much empty-handed. His repeated and childish efforts to trip Harper via flamboyant Charter challenges and patriotic provocations were slapped down effortlessly, leaving him looking like a total eunuch. And my God, the scandals. The scandals. Are killing. Paul Martin. His credibility is in tatters, now an open joke amongst the other Leaders. They were literally laughing at him. That ain't good on national television. All that was left for him last night was a ride on the unity train...and something tells me that that train has already left the station.

Jack Layton. Not much to say that hasn't already been said, although his continued reference to the "3rd option" and his reluctance to sell the NDP as a Party that could form a government was disappointing. A lot more people are going to vote for the Dippers this time around. They are going to see gains in lots of areas, maybe even Quebec (home of the social justice platform). This is when a Leader should ramp up the team rhetoric and make people believe that their vote will deliver their Party from the ignominy of the backbenches. It was a missed opportunity on Jack's part last night. That being said, he still delivered a solid - if not slightly grim - performance, as he has in all previous debates. His sorrowful countenance as he scolded Martin for his patent dishonesty and shocking inability to govern was as satisfying to watch as a big plate of ESD mac and cheese is to eat. Speaking of fromage, though, the way he begs the players to sit down again at the unity table is kind of funny. You can almost smell the S'mores roasting from here...

Gilles Duceppe was on fire again last night. I don't get tired of hearing the man speak in either language. There were a couple of times when he seemed to waver, but I rack it up to language issues - he always manages to get back on message. His open disgust over the "Liberal scandals" moved me to the point where I could feel my lip curling in a mirror-image snarl when he had Martin up against the ropes with "Exactly HOW many RCMP investigations are being conducted within your government?" Ouch. He is utterly unintimidated by his opponents because he doesn't give a shit which squarehead gets in, as long as he gets his referendum. That's just the way it is. And yeah, it's still tonnes of fun to watch he and Layton double-team Martin on social issues; it doesn't matter how you slice it, the Jack and Gilles Show is just plain old good times.

Ok, so can you tell that I enjoyed the show last night? It was by far the best of the campaign - I hope the same for the French debate tonight. Thanks to my 407 homies for comfy chairs, tasty treats and stimulating commentary...you are both Master Debaters. See you ce soir!