The Vancouver Scrum

Occasionally, I can bring myself to watch CTV NewsNet's Countdown, the nightly Mike Duffy-hosted gabfest. Once again, the Puffster had, from the right, the bufoniform David Frum (hey! What's an American citizen doing yammering on about our election? The rightwing warblogger whackies did protest when Michael Moore piped in the other week!), and the worst press secretary in Canadian history, Ezra Levant. One the centre and left were owlish former Liberal Party prez Stephen LeDrew and outgoing Hamilton East MP Sheila Copps.

The chatter got down to healthcare, with Copps and Ezra trading barbs. Ezra was rattling on about Paul Martin getting healthcare from a private clinic (well, his doctor operates one of those clinics -- so does my ophthalmologist), and saying that other Canadians, especially "western Canadians" demand the same freedom to pay what they like for healthcare, but instead Paul Martin goes and bashes arch-Albertan Ralph Klein.

(Copps had a great barb about how Ralph might not appreciate being dethroned as Canada's King Conservative by that Harper fellow.)

Now, apart from Levant's allegations against Martin, I will give him credit for being more honest about his stance on Medicare than that of the party he relentlessly shills for.

Well, Ezra was on form, screaming about the old Coutts 'n Davey "Screw the west, we'll take the rest" approach to the 1980 approach -- apparently, the Liberal or NDP stance on health care and private clinics is anti-western. Of course, Ezra purports that the view of conservative pundits in Alberta is in fact the de facto view of the West. As anyone outside Alberta will tell you, that's not always the case.

Tequila Sheila: "Ezra, I was just in British Columbia; that's not what they're thinking in BC."

Ezra: "There won't be more than six Liberals between BC and Alberta." (Okay, whatever Ezra; the Grits could pull more than that many seats in BC -- 2 on the Island, 3 or 4 in Vancouver, 2 or 3 in the 'burbs, and Skeena -- and there are 2 incumbent Liberal MPs in Alberta, including one whose defeat has been incorrectly forecast the last three elections in a row. Spin away, buddy.) He then went on to spin about what "the West", or at least his little social circle within the West, wanted with regard to health care.

Madame Tequila burned the young pepperpot Levant quite nicely.

"Medicare was invented in the west... in Saskatchewan"

Ezra was speechless for over one second. Must be a new record.

Ooohwee! And we've got a new Liberal attack ad, once again turning the screws on Conservative leader Stephen Harper, questioning his judgment (see under: child porn smear) and asking what we still don't know about his real agenda. As Count Floyd would say, "Very Scary!"