A great take on Mr. Haper's first few months....

globeandmail.com : In Harper's regime, Big Daddy knows best

This is good work, and since it kinda slams Harper, I think it's GREAT!

My favourite snippets:

Paul Martin and Jean Chrétien approved big speeches and major pronouncements. But Mr. Harper and his team vet even MPs' letters to small-town newspapers. “Paul Martin was accused of micro-managing,” a government insider says.

“But this guy micro-manages more. The business of government has ground to a halt on anything that isn't a declared priority.”

And this one...

The PMO no longer advertises the time and location of cabinet meetings, which means reporters can no longer scrum ministers as they leave the weekly brain mash.

As a result, they've resorted to buttonholing ministers as they climb into their limos. The PMO recently volleyed back by asking cabinet ministers not to park their limos near the members entrance to the House of Commons, so as not to tip reporters that a cabinet meeting is in session. Mr. Harper himself has allegedly resorted to sneaking up to the meeting on a freight elevator. All these antics make the nation's business look like a high-level game of sardines.

And this one...

The Prime Minister now tries to limit the numbers and kinds of questions reporters ask, and has adopted the Bush White House strategy of favouring friendly questioners.

And this one....

In the PMO, Mr. Harper consults a small circle of advisers that includes Ian Brodie, his young and smart chief of staff, another Reform loyalist (who reportedly tried to make staffers stand up whenever Mr. Harper walked into the room for his morning briefing, to no avail)

HAHAHAHA! I knew my former poli-sci prof was a character but that one takes the cake!

Anyhow, read the whole thing. It's pretty good.

Enjoy.

A.L.