Taking Them Out, Conservative-Style.

Are you like me? Do the words "sea-change" ring loudly in your ears as you behold the new Conservative strategy to deal with pesky unreliables...to watch their MPs in committee is to witness a deliberate hunt in sustained progress.

Don't have to overly exercise the little grey cells to figure out where this is going: we're now beyond damage control -- or even political containment. We're rapidly heading into the realm of replacement mode.

Can't tell you how many Conservatives quietly wish they would simply slip off the political landscape, never to be heard from again. Meanwhile, the big riding meeting just broke up, without even a hint of a quiet whimper.

As Chrétien was fond of saying: "Hold on tight, it's going to be one hell of a ride."

Michaëlle Jean.

I guess I will have to finally raise a white flag and surrender. Now that the Governor General has publicly confirmed that her term will not be extended, one is left with the feeling that she will have to find other avenues to put her talents to work.

Very few people in this country of ours can legitimately claim to have made a difference in our society but Michaëlle Jean is definitely one of them. She took Canada and Canadians to a new place -- where we felt better about ourselves and each other. The Governor General showed us through her own actions how much potential we all have as individuals and how each of us can make that special difference.

I, for one, am looking forward to her second act. No doubt it will be more than memorable. In the words of Robert Frost:

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there's some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Has This Prime Minister Booked With Branson Yet?

Nah, they're crazy when they say that Ottawa is a high-stress environment. This Prime Minister doesn't look any worse for wear -- so what if he has to deal with Afghan torture, erratic MPs and what-you-ma-call-it: the thing that's abortion but really isn't about abortion. You know how that one goes -- the earth is round but we're still looking for the curve!

But back on topic...has the PM booked with Sir Richard Branson yet? I mean, seriously. The guy could use the big escape just about now. Think of it, off in sub-orbit without a care in the world for as long as the spacecraft fuel holds out.

That's the ticket Stephen -- Virgin Galactic! By all means, have somebody over in the PMO put down their wide black felt marker (otherwise known as the second appendage) and let those fingers do the walking.

Est-ce que c'était de commune renommée?

Disons, si c'était le cas, il faudra démissionner...

Couples In Action...

Fortunately, I'm not big on kicking people when they're down -- and sometimes out. So instead of joining the choir, my approach to recent developments is to blog on the difficulties inherent with power couples.

It isn't an easy mix: most couples love each other and only want the best for their spouse. They know the black and white parameters but love being what it is, the elastic band can tend to stretch more than it should -- and said couples can find themselves in the sometimes notorious grey zone.

That tends to spell trouble with a capital "T". In some cases, that can lead to resignation, in others disgrace. Investigations are undertaken and charges can accompany inquiries.

Whether in the private sector or government, you can't take your eyes off the ball. You have to cut quickly to contain the damage. As stated before, perception is truly nine-tenths of the law. The next enemy is I-M-A-G-I-N-A-T-I-O-N which often leads to incredibly damaging speculation, sometimes eventually proven to be accurate but more often than not, which reveals itself to be groundless.

That's why accountability, accuracy and transparency are so essential in these matters. You have to get it all out there -- the good, bad and yes, the ugly as quickly as possible. But then comes the truly delicate part: carefully choosing the appropriate messenger -- in the interest of not compromising investigations or jeopardizing possible fair trials, it's not just anyone who can speak publicly on these subjects.

That's why our system allows for full disclosure (within reasonable limits) in the interest of justice by police and prosecutors. But remember, that disclosure has to be both as complete and as timely as possible.

Otherwise, no amount of damage control can be effective as matters such as these potentially turn into nothing more than a three-ring circus...

Prime Minister: Will It Be A Stomach Pump With That?

The calculus is really quite simple: this Prime Minister can have his electoral poison straight up -- or he can let the splendid agony go on for much longer and eventually take his dose thanks to a more effective time-released formula!

You know the drill: Afghanistan, Abortion, otherwise known as the Double A Whamee! Hard to crawl out from under those unpleasant rocks...yes, these aren't exactly heady times for Liberals but that's beside the point.

Liberals aren't the incumbent government. Liberals aren't still beating the bushes vainly in search of that ever elusive majority. It isn't the Liberal Party that's responsible for this country going in the wrong "direction". Liberals aren't rapidly becoming known as the Wrong Track Express Out Of Ottawa...

Here's an idea: why don't we finally just call it a day and have ourselves an old-fashioned election. Let the people decide. Surely, no one can have any bones about that.

Swallow hard and then pay a visit to the lady some would rather not see. It will only hurt for a short while -- mostly going down and then it will be all over, at least, politically speaking.