well yes, I don't think there can be any doubt that *Historical Conservative Figure* was nearly the worst thing that ever happened but having said that, they were certainly head and shoulders above *Current Conservative Figure* who – because he can't be described as rigidly ideological in this context – we will therefore describe, not as a reasonable compromiser, certainly not as an open armed uniter, but as a weak kneed waste of space who ought to have the courage to more plainly extrude his despicabality.

Conservatives have always been horrible and never more so than at this very moment, there can be no question about it.

Nobody outside of Canada "noticed" us because Harper was a few minutes late for a photo-op. Some wire services included it as a two-sentence item buried within a larger news report that day, and a mere handful of foreign newspapers bothered to print it as a brief standalone "ain't-that-cute" blurb (e.g. two paragraphs beside the coffee ad on page A35.)

In short, nobody outside of Canada paid attention to it. Some Canadians like to pretend that this was an international gaffe, because they think it's embarrassing to Harper, but the harsh reality is that people from other countries don't notice or care about stuff like this.

Harper isn't really "a joke internationally". In fact, one could make the case that Harper is well-respected internationally. He's no limelight-hogging superstar, but he's anything but a joke.

The Liberals have tried their best to peddle the "international joke" line, in the Narnia ads and elsewhere. Their efforts haven't been successful, because their funhouse-mirror distortions don't jive with reality.

As the bottom-trawling LPC has recently discovered, concentrated BS is no substitute for real alternatives and real policies.