My former Calgary Herald colleague, Don Martin, has left the National Post – and, I presume, the Herald – to become the new host of Power Play.

That’s good news for CTV, but not so great for Postmedia.  The Post’s John Ivison is a gifted writer with an acerbic wit, but – last time I checked – John was one person.  He can’t cover the entire Hill, as a columnist, all on his own.  I think Postmedia will need to sign up someone else for North of the Queensway columnar duties, but what do I know.

In any event, big congrats to Don.  I miss sparring with Powers on CTV’s news channel, but he’ll be Prime Minister of Newfoundland in a few weeks’ time, so that’s that.

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Remember this?

The Citizen’s editors responded quickly and effectively to my complaint.  That was that.

This afternoon, nearly a month later, Lee Greenberg tried again. A few folks contacted me – through this web site and Facebook – to let me know that Greenberg had re-published his bullshit.  The Post has published it, too, under Greenberg’s byline.

This time, I copied my lawyer on my emailed request that the Citizen refrain from letting Greenberg from publishing made-up stuff.  They have removed said B.S. from the web edition of the paper, and I’ve been assured it won’t show up in the print edition, either.  Last time I checked, however, it was still on the Post web site, so a libel notice will be winging its way to them tomorrow afternoon.

Anyway. How can this happen twice?  Beats me.  Maybe the desk isn’t checking Greenberg’s stuff enough.  Or, perhaps someone thought it was a way to take a shot at someone who writes for a competitor.  (I hope not, but who knows.)

In any event, my advice still stands: if you work in politics, and Lee Greenberg calls you…

Hang up.

UPDATE: The Post has deleted the false part.

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• About Gwynne Dyer: “He is very high on the list of those whose corpses should be plowed into a ditch after a short ride in the back of a truck holding other condemned traitors for their mandatory bullet in the head.”
• “Indeed. ‘The Bible is the story of a people’s journey out of barbarism. The Koran is the story of a people’s embrace of it.'”
• Michelle Obama, “bowser voodoo queen”
• “Look at Bloomberg, a money-loving Jew who has sold his soul for the arabs’ dirty money.”

More such filth here.

Messrs. Harper and Hudak should reconsider their association with these lunatics.

But they won’t.

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Tim Hudak reacts to his biggest policy issue.

You can’t make this up.

Yesterday, Legislature staff mistakenly placed the Speaker’s Christmas tree in front of Hudak’s office.  It was there for a few hours.  They realized their mistake, and went back to put it in the right spot.

Hudak – perhaps hoping we’d all forget he’s been a No Plan Zone for 519 days – started Twittering about this burning issue non-stop.  He even had staff do up stickers, at taxpayer expense, about his missing tree.

This guy makes Charlie Brown look like Winston Churchill. Swear to God.

***

timhudak <http://twitter.com/> Tim Hudak

Mysterious tree appears in spot outside door but looks more like Charlie Brown Christmas tree than original http://plixi.com/p/60026921 <http://plixi.com/p/60026921>

14 hours ago <http://twitter.com/> Favorite <http://twitter.com/> Retweet <http://twitter.com/> Reply <http://twitter.com/>
»
timhudak <http://twitter.com/> Tim Hudak
Description of missing tree: Balsam Fir. 8 ft tall. Dark green appearance, long lasting needles, attractive form. Pleasing fragrance.

18 hours ago <http://twitter.com/> Favorite <http://twitter.com/> Retweet <http://twitter.com/> Reply <http://twitter.com/>
»
timhudak <http://twitter.com/> Tim Hudak
Our Christmas tree is MIA. All watered, ready to decorate – swiped from outside Leader of Oppo office door! http://plixi.com/p/59996521 <http://plixi.com/p/59996521>

18 hours ago <http://twitter.com/> Favorite <http://twitter.com/> Retweet <http://twitter.com/> Reply <http://twitter.com/>

Comments (6)

Some Reformatory commenters are driving me bonkers in Comments – saying Vaughan is a “huge” win for the blue team, blah blah blah.  They’re also suggesting that I – me! me! – am spinning for OLO. They’re full of crap on both counts.

Here’s my (hopefully) pithy response:

“I’m no fan of the OLO crowd, as everyone here knows well. That’s why you can be assured I am not “spinning” for them.

The net winner this morning is Ignatieff. He was supposed to have been crushed in Vaughan, and wasn’t; he wasn’t supposed to win in North Winnipeg, and did; and no one expected him to win in Dauphin, and he didn’t.”

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Main author of cables in WikiLeaks release.

“When you take a gander at the mountain of classified U.S. documents WikiLeaks offered up on Sunday, you are inevitably left pondering the phrase “intelligence community.”

Turns out, it’s an oxymoron.

The “intelligence community,” clearly, is neither “intelligent” nor a “community.”

In fact, when you ponder what America’s top spies are pondering, it’s not so amazing that Osama bin Laden has escaped capture for more than a decade. The alleged Maxwell Smarts overseeing America’s intelligence-gathering aren’t particularly smart and they have a tenuous grasp on that important allies/enemies distinction, too.”

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I predicted on CBC’s Power and Politics, last week, that the Cons would win Vaughan, and that the Libs had an excellent candidate in Winnipeg North. Monte and Peggy laughed at me, heartily.

Meanwhile, in the Sun, I even rashly said that Julian Fantino would win “handily.”

“Handily!”

Well, I may have been right about Winnipeg on CBC, but I sure got it wrong about Vaughan in the pages of the Sun – I mean, blowing a massive lead of thousands of votes in two weeks, like the Vaughan Conservatives did, isn’t winning “handily.” It’s a huge embarrassment.

I am ecstatic, however, that old Chretien chum Kevin Lamoureux won in Winnipeg North! Great news, and a lot of fun to follow on CPAC last night. I particularly enjoyed irritating Sheila and Meredith.

Now, bon soir.

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• Vaughan
• Dauphin – Swan River
• Winnipeg North

poll by twiigs.com

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Still, after her ordeal, Bonds said she doesn’t want to think she was wrongfully arrested and mistreated just because she’s a young black woman.

“I hope and pray it’s not a racial thing. I don’t want to make it into a big black-white issue. I think it’s more of an issue of questioning authority and I’d like to tell people don’t be afraid to ask police questions. It’s your right. I’ve learned my rights and I think everyone should learn their rights and make sure they’re not stepped on,” Bonds told the Ottawa Citizen on Saturday.

Bonds, a theatrical makeup artist with no criminal record, was stopped by police in September 2008 while walking home from an after-hours party following a live musical performance downtown.

The police officers ran her name through the system. When nothing came up they told her to go home.

When she asked why she had been stopped in the first place, police arrested her and took her to police headquarters, where she was put in a jail cell where she remained topless and in soiled pants for three hours and 15 minutes before being given a jailhouse jumpsuit.

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