Tories use Million Dollar life insurance policies instead of manila envelopes...

Check this story out.

It seems Harper's Conservatives were all about sleaze and graft back in 2005. Let me remind our readers that 2005 is pre-Accountability act, so the Conservatives may not be in violation of that law....

Here's some juicy pieces from the article:

The widow of former B.C. MP Chuck Cadman says two Conservative Party officials offered her husband a million-dollar life insurance policy in exchange for his vote to bring down the Liberal government in May of 2005.

The offer, which was summarily rejected by the dying man, is outlined in a biography of Mr. Cadman by Vancouver journalist Tom Zytaruk that is to be released on March 14. A copy of the manuscript, including an introduction by former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin, has been obtained by The Globe and Mail.

And we know how well that turned out. Chuck Cadman did the honourable thing and could not be swayed by a Million Dollar bribe to bring down the Martin government.

Isn't offering an MP monetary compensation in return for their vote bribery? Isn't bribery against the law?

The men arrived at Mr. Cadman's Ottawa office two days before the vote on the Liberal budget. It was apparent at that time that the House of Commons was evenly split on the money bill and the nod of the then-Independent MP would decide whether Mr. Martin's Liberal government would survive. "The Tories actually walked in with a list of offers written down on a piece of paper. Included in their proposal was a $1-million life insurance policy — no small carrot for a man with advanced cancer," the book states.

If the offer was made at his Ottawa office, that means it was a bribe made in Parliament. Could that aggravate the crime, if it is in fact a crime?

Looks like Harper has some explaining to do. SHAME on the Conservative party.

I hope journalists are going to start asking the tough questions on this file.

A.L.

West Wing Junkies UNITE!!

From West Wing to the real thing | World news | The Guardian

It seems the final seasons of the West Wing and the candidacy of the fictional Matthew Santos were based upon Barack Obama.

For what those West Wing fans stunned by the similarity between the fictitious Matthew Santos and the real-life Barack Obama have not known is that the resemblance is no coincidence. When the West Wing scriptwriters first devised their fictitious presidential candidate in the late summer of 2004, they modelled him in part on a young Illinois politician - not yet even a US senator - by the name of Barack Obama.

"I drew inspiration from him in drawing this character," West Wing writer and producer Eli Attie told the Guardian. "When I had to write, Obama was just appearing on the national scene. He had done a great speech at the convention [which nominated John Kerry] and people were beginning to talk about him."

I, along with Calgary Grit and IP, spotted it a while ago, but it gets even better.

As more proof of the mirror image of this primary season, West Wing devotees will note that in the final season the Democratic Party's nomination came down to a brokered convention, which may be the end result of this nomination contest. No way the writers of West Wing could have predicted this, but bravo on them for the realism, even if it is 20/20.

Right wing nutbars having a Sh*t-fit about McCain's ascendancy!

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 02/06/2008 | Can anyone stop John McCain?

It seems the hard-right of the Republican party is having a tough time coming to grips with the fact that the country has had enough of their BS.

Let's dig into this little article...

Despite McCain's strong stand on defense, many conservatives consider him a closet liberal, hostile to tax cuts, supportive of illegal immigrants and too ready to compromise with the likes of Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

Some conservative voices, such as talk show host and Fox News personality Sean Hannity, are rallying to Romney as the best alternative to stop McCain.

Uh oh! He's too moderate.... That's just unacceptable! The next missive comes from a guy who's hard to like. Wrote great books in the 70's and 80's about raising kids, but is an absolute nut-bar when it comes to politics.

James Dobson, the influential social conservative who heads the Colorado-based group Focus on the Family, said Tuesday that he wouldn't vote for McCain — but he stopped short of backing Romney.

"I am convinced Senator McCain is not a conservative, and in fact, has gone out of his way to stick his thumb in the eyes of those who are," Dobson said. "I cannot, and I will not vote for Senator John McCain, as a matter of conscience."

Looks like the Republicans are going to have base problems....

I hope so!

A.L.