I suppose this post is meant to boost your "liberal" creds. The fact is the Tories could run fire hydrants in the upcoming election, and maybe they will, given the close timing.

And another cheap shot a Stockwell Day - easy pickins, I guess. Poor Stock has done much in the last few years to rehabilitate his image, and much of what he has said on foreign affairs is intelligent and thoughtful. But, alas, it makes no difference - let's trot out the old stereotypes to prop up the crooks. Where's Warren Kinsella when you need him - oh, yeah he's stuck testifying at the Public Accounts Committee, arguing with the Martinites as to who were the bigger crooks: Martin's supporters or Chretiens. It is these type of pedantic cheap shots on Stock and the others that has made the systemic Liberal corruption possible.

"Remember you get what you pray for..." etc. - I don't remember ever praying for a corrupt Liberal government, do you?

Don't be a dink. Pointing out that the Tories are having an odd time getting quality candidates is not about the Liberals. The world is not black and white. You can be anti-Tory without being pro-Liberal. I am happy to be there and to be attacked on that basis. Go ahead.

And I appreciate what you say about Mr. Day. But he is a nutty guy in some beliefs. What I do not know, however, is how they are contextualized. Does he believe in the impending of the end times, a common pentecostal point of view. Will that colour foreign policy? That is a valid question. So I drape a Flintstones reference over it? I have to add some colour to this otherwise drab world.

The other day, I noticed in his response to whatever the Liberals called their foreign policy thingy he said there was no plan to co-operate with China and no plan to defend against the enemies Iran and North Korea. I am paraphrasing so do not worry correcting but he did use the word "enemy." Is Iran our enemy? They are a nasty lot and their secret police killed a Canadian in an ugly ugly way. will it be TOry police to cut ties to Iran immediately? I would like to know that. As far as I can tell the next major enemy we may face is China. But they have lots of money. So it is going to be trade trade trade until the war starts? Maggie Thatcher sold bullets to the Argentines that killed UK soldiers. I would not want to see that again.

I think that the addition of Flagherty, Baird, and Clement to the conservative front bench is on the whole a good thing. Not that I like any of them or their politics. But at least they have experience running important ministries in a large province.

I agree with much of what's been said about Day. Yes, he's sticking his foot in his mouth less these days. But personally, I don't think I could ever vote for a party that actually made him foreign minister, given what he believes about the middle east and the 'end times'. (Opposition critic is not so problematic imo--I understand that Harper had to put him somewhere important to reunify his party.)

But this is why the candidacy (and presumably election) of prominent Ontario Tories is a good thing. At the moment, it is hard to see how Harper could build a strong cabinet out of what he has--and the fact that Day is foreign critic and Kenney finance critic is a clear sign of how weak a Tory cabinet might be. Flagherty, Clement and Baird are all clearly cabinet material.

Fair enough - but Finance or one of the other top jobs?

"The first three are Harris era rejects who couldn't get ahead in their own provincial Tory party which is quite possibly set for replacement of the McGuinty government in the next election. If they wouldn't get a cabinet seat in Toronto, why would we get excited about having them get one in Ottawa?"

You're nuts!

You do know the size (in whatever measure you care for) of Ontario, right? And you think having these three guys in the caucus doesn't add some serious clout?

From their bios....

John Baird:
Parliamentary Assistant in several government ministries including Labour, Management Board, and Finance. he was also Government House Leader.
Minister of Community and Social Services, and additionally became Minister Responsible for Children Deputy House Leader and Party Whip.
Minister of Energy.
John is currently Health Critic and House Leader

Jim Flaherty:
Finance Critic for the Official Opposition.
Minister of Enterprise, Opportunity and Innovation
Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance
Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Native Affairs, Minister of Labour, and Solicitor General and Minister of Correctional Services

Tony Clement:
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation
Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier responsible for developing proposals regarding direct democracy
Minister of Transportation 1997-99
Minister of the Environment 1999-2000
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing 1999-2001
Minister of Health and Long-Term Care 2001-03

Perhaps for Flaherty I am but you are nuts if you think being a Parliamentary assistant or house leader makes you a prime candidate for Federal finance or foreign affairs or treasury board. Clement was essentially dropped as a hot potato by his own people on an ideological basis - fits with the socons but that is what people in Ontario do not want. He is hardly going to be a driver for votes for Tories when they themselves have moved on from him and his ideas. And why would Flahety run from Queens Park now that his prospects are so good there? If these are your aces in the whole for a pro-Ontario Tory sweep, good luck to you.

"Fair enough - but Finance or one of the other top jobs?"

Are you asking about Day? I suspect that he could be put in charge of Heritage--prominent enough that his faction cannot complain too vocally, but minor enough that he stays mostly out of the spotlight.

Flagherty would surely be the best candidate for finance in the CPC.

I think you're being a bit hard on Clement. He'd make a reasonable appointment at Health or Environment, which were posts that he held in Ontario.

Yes, Baird is more likely to be in the second tier. But these posts need to be filled, too, and without decent players like this we'll end up with Harper being forced to make Myron Thompson a parliamentary secretary.

Day for Heritage? That would be pathetic. I would think something less content oriented.<p>But my real point is where are the rest of the Tories. Surely there is a greater community of skilled and capabile people than these Harris cast offs. Keep in mind, Ontario's population rejected these guys as did the Ontario Tories so they are not exactly showpieces, though Don is right to display their resumes. If Ontario did not like them in a provincial election and their own provincial party has moved elsewhere, what makes them a draw to Ontarians as leaders of the CPC. I think there are others out there who are not coming forward like Stronach did out of the industrial sector. I think they are not coming forward, biding their time. If the Liberals should eke out another majority somehow, they will go back to their jobs and Harper will resign. If Harper gets a minority, I suspect they will start sharpening their knives to oust Harper. If Harper gets a majority, they will fawn and beg.

Here's hoping they bring back John Snobelen, high school dropout and former Ontario Education Minister, as well as whoever was responsible for the Walkerton disaster (For anyone outside Ontario, Walkerton was a tragedy in which cutbacks to infrastructure lead to e-coli, illness, and deaths in a town called Walkerton). That's sarcasm by the way: I don't actually think that having those two run would be good. Actually, I'm assuming the Federal branch of the conservative party is bringing these guys in for balance. The Ontario Tories are essentially atheists. I mean, look at Ernie Eves and Mike Harris. No family values there. No doubt they're trying to water down the social conservative (read 'Christian' Protestant) aura which permeates even their toned down agenda and which isn't selling well anywhere in the East.

"Day for Heritage? That would be pathetic. I would think something less content oriented."

Well, you're guess is as good as mine. But he has to be put somewhere and it has to be something that appears to be important, given that Day represents an important constituency within the party. A similar process resulted in Sheila Copps going to Heritage, which is why I would choose it.

But if you have a better suggestion, I'd like to here it.

Rather than thinking of this as a slagging exercise, it would be more constructive for me to actually post a list of the cabinet posts and line up my idea of the best office holders from likely candidate - a Tory cabinet pool. Sooner or later they will likely get in so it would not be utterly pointless (not that I am against the utterly pointless).

Here is a good comment on one possible Flaherty effect over here.