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Blog of Adam Daifallah -- author, journalist, law student. Lover of politics, writing, golf, curling, fitness, fashion, bacon and maple products -- not necessarily (but probably) in that order. Partisan of the Anglosphere. Contact me via email at adam@daifallah.com. This summer I am joined by Keir Wilmut and Omar Soliman.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
National Post on WFB
Big coverage of the Buckley passing in today's National Post.
See my contribution here. Also see Conrad Black here, Jeet Heer and a house editorial.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 8:58 AM
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Avi Lewis joins Al-Jazeera
Can't say I'm surprised:
Asked if Al Jazeera Arabic’s reputation for airing terrorist propaganda played into his decision, Mr. Lewis said the question is “absolutely hilarious.”
“What’s the allegation? That Al Jazeera aired [Osama] bin Laden videos? So did CNN, FOX and everybody else,” he said. “I know that Al Jazeera is a favourite target of nationalist right-wingers in the United States, but as a journalist, I like to judge things on the evidence.”
Avi is actually quite a nice guy, but his political views are ... well, you know.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 11:40 PM
RIP Mr. Buckley
A sad day I had anticipated was coming soon has, alas, arrived -- one of my heroes, William F. Buckley, has died.
I refer to you this 2004 piece I wrote commemorating Mr. Buckley's retirement from National Review and to the tributes that are pouring in at NRO.
More to come later, but suffice it to say for now that this is one of the greatest losses the conservative movement has and probably will ever suffer. No one person (at least, no other private citizen) has done more to advance conservatism and to bring our ideas into the mainstream as this man.
God bless him.
UPDATE: I've written a new column on Buckley for the National Post, which you can find here.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 12:02 PM
Budget
Looks good to me. Particularly liked the tax-free savings account idea. Not so keen on the new crown corporation to manage PPPs, but it's no big deal.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 8:45 AM
Monday, February 25, 2008
Mark down this day!
A major Canadian news organization has used the prefix "leftist" to describe the leftist Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives in a news story:
Leftist group slams tax cuts as 'irresponsible' Updated Mon. Feb. 25 2008 2:01 PM ET The Canadian Press TORONTO -- The minority Conservative government has squandered Ottawa's multibillion-dollar surplus because of an obsession with cutting taxes while ignoring issues such as poverty and climate change, according to a left-leaning think tank.
I have never seen this before.
Kudos to CTV or the Canadian Press, whichever was responsible for this headline. This is a major step forward in the fight for balance in the media. Let's hope it is not just a one-time occurrence.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 9:01 PM
One last word on John Tory
Had I attended the Ontario PC convention last weekend, I'm sure my thoughts would be similar -- although not as eloquently stated -- as these. 66.9% is such a bad number because its just below where you can easily claim victory, and not high enough to be comfortably in the clear. It's an unfortunate outcome for both the Ontario PCs and John Tory, but they will move on.
ALW notes:
There is a reason Mr. Clark, whatever his other merits, is considered the gold standard of poor political decision-making in Canadian politics, and his decision to quit and re-contest the federal PC leadership in 1984 [sic -- 1983] is a major element of that.
I disagree. Clark did the honourable thing by concluding that a level of support below 70% required him to resign and run again. As I noted earlier, the 65%-75% margin should have been a "resign and run again" result in this race, particularly given the contextual factors -- party apparatus was behind the leader, no obvious successor organizing against him, etc.
I don't have the data, but I would think the list of Canadian political leaders who remained after getting 67% in a review vote is fairly thin. In 2005, Bernard Landry quit with 75%.
All this being said, I see no point in further discussion of John Tory's leadership. His decision to stay on is the wrong decision, but he has the right to that decision. I wish the party well going forward.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 2:48 PM
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Historical irony
John Tory has received 66.9% of the votes at the Ontario PC convention.
Wow.
UPDATE: Tory has announced he is staying. Unbelievable. With one third of the assembled delegates voting against him, after he had the whole weight of the party apparatus working for him, after he controlled the process, after questionable tactics from his side during the delegate selection process, he's staying on with 66.9%? With no obvious successor waiting in the wings, with no other leadership aspirant organizing against him (as was the case in 1983 with Clark, who got the same amount), with dozens of Conservatives who would otherwise have opposed him not bothering with the whole thing because they are busy in Ottawa, he got 66.9% and plans to stay? This is just nuts.
UPDATE II: B-Double has similar thoughts.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 6:27 PM
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Tories up?
Another day, another poll, and this time its bad news for Team Dion:
"It's a cold shower for Liberal election plans," the Strategic Counsel's Peter Donolo told CTV.ca Wednesday. When respondents were asked which party they would vote for, nearly 40 per cent said they would back the Conservatives (percentage-point change from a Jan. 10-13 poll in brackets): - Conservatives: 39 per cent (+3)
- Liberals: 27 per cent (-3)
- NDP: 12 per cent (same)
- Green Party: 12 per cent (+2)
- Bloc Quebecois: 10 per cent (-1)
CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife said that Liberal Leader Stephane Dion was pushing for an election Tuesday, and was considering voting down the federal budget in March. "He happens to believe that if Canadians see him in an election campaign, they'll like him and elect him as prime minister," said Fife. Curious. This poll is starkly different from the poll last week showing the two parties in a virtual tie.
The conspiracy theorists among us will note that Peter Donolo is Jean Chrétien's former communications director and might be trying to aid and abet the movement inside the Liberal Party to stop Stéphane Dion from pulling the plug. Various Grit heavyweights, including Sen. David Smith, are trying to kibosh the leader's plans to defeat the government over the budget. The more likely explanation is that this is just another example of the ups-and-downs of polling. Polls are a snapshot in time. I wouldn't read too much into this. The bottom line is that the Tories will have a good chance at a majority whether the election is now or in the fall.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 7:38 AM
Monday, February 18, 2008
John Tory's fate
This weekend in London, Ont., Ontario Progressive Conservatives will gather for a general meeting to, amongst other things, decide whether or not they want John Tory to remain leader. Tory wants to keep the job, but substantial opposition has been mounted against him in the wake of last fall's crushing loss to Dalton McGuinty. My view is pretty straightforward on this. Tory is a nice man, but he should go. I was actually surprised he didn't resign on election night. I'm aware of the argument that leaders deserve two tries. But consider: 1) He led the party to a worse finish than the 2003 Ernie Eves disaster. 2) He had three years to prepare for the election. 3) The McGuinty government had an abysmal record and was ripe for defeat. 4) He didn't even win his own seat. Not exactly confidence-inspiring. Everyone I've talked to in both camps say its impossible to accurately measure support levels. Having attended the 2005 PQ convention at which Bernard Landry was dumped, I can attest to the fact that the number of people claiming to be pro-leader is in now way indicative of their voting intentions. (If all who claimed to be supporting Landry had voted for him to stay, he would have received about 90% instead of the 75% he got.) It's also unclear what Tory thinks is good enough. He has refused to cite a number. Constitutionally-speaking, he only needs 50%, but that's unrealistic. The Joe Clark bar is 67%, but 75% and up is the only way to continue with a truly united party. Tory will get over 50%, that much is certain. The question is whether he reaches the magic 75% number. The anti-Tory camp is claiming he needs 80% to stay on. My view is: - 65%-75% = resign as leader, but run for the job again in the ensuing race.
- >75% = clear mandate to stay as leader.
I think this is fair, and I imagine Tory is realistically thinking about the same.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 1:10 PM
Friday, February 15, 2008
Mike Duffy Live
I will be on CTV Newsnet tonight at 5:30 PM ET for anyone who wants to watch.
UPDATE: Watch the video here.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 3:52 PM
JFK's love child
A new twist in that intriguing story about JFK's possible son living in Vancouver, Jack Worthington: he is an ex-boyfriend of Sharon Bush, the ex-wife of George W. Bush's brother, Neil. Sharon has come to the defence of Mr. Worthington, claiming he is a man of "high integrity":
Mr. Worthington vehemently denied ever writing or speaking publicly about his possible connection to the Kennedy family. "It's outrageous. Vanity Fair approached me. They had to woo me for over six months to work with them on their story, and I only co-operated on their assurances that my anonymity would be protected." Mr. Worthington, who moved to the Vancouver area nine months ago, said he was reeling from the attention his story has received in the world media. He plans to come forward soon in an interview with a major U.S. network to "clear the air." Mr. Worthington co-operated for the Vanity Fair story, which has not yet been published, but said, "I have never claimed to be JFK's love child." "When his mother gave him the information, just a few years ago, he was shell-shocked," Ms. Bush said, adding Mr. Worthington shared the information with her at the time in "complete confidence." Regardless of Sharon Bush, I'm willing to give this guy the benefit of the doubt.
First, the picture of him is clear evidence that he could well be JFK's son. Second, he has said he will sign an agreement with the Kennedys promising to not make a claim on the JFK estate. Third, if he was really looking for fame and money, he would have come forward years ago. Fourth, his going public is just an attempt to preempt the story Vanity Fair was working on, which Ted Kennedy tried to kibosh. (I do feel badly for the Vanity Fair reporter who was scooped; he did put 18 months of his life into researching this.) Fifth, the circumstantial evidence here -- his birth date, for example, as well as his mother's family connections to LBJ -- are just too weird.
I understand the Kennedys want to preserve the pop mythology surrounding JFK and his presidency. If I were them, it would be my gut instinct too to try and sweep this under the rug. But in this day and age, it is increasingly more difficult to block out unwanted news and cover things up.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 1:34 PM
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
So much for that
Monday, February 11, 2008
Hillary's fate
Is Hillary Clinton set to lose the Democratic primary?
The media are now starting to ponder the possibility after Sen. Obama's impressive four victories in the latest primaries. There is talk now that the Clinton camp will forgo fighting in the next six states to focus in on Ohio and Texas, two important primaries in early March.
That's a risky proposition. Rudy Giuliani tried this strategy and it failed. It would also be incredibly difficult to fight back the momentum the Obama campaign will have after a possible string of 10 straight primary wins.
I believe the Clintons are two of the best political practitioners alive and maybe who ever lived. They have been counted out before, only to rise from the ashes later. Their campaign will get dirtier and more hard-hitting in the next two weeks for sure.
I still think she will end up winning the nomination, although it's getting increasingly more difficult to figure out how.
The Democratic establish might also end up demanding that both end up on the ticket to avoid an ugly split convention.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 4:32 PM
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Look who came to Quebec City!
 Stephen Harper fans from Laval law school got to meet the man himself at the Calgary Stampede's breakfast at the Carnaval this morning.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 2:15 PM
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Score a few for Brian
The House of Commons Ethics Committee's "investigation" into the Schreiber affair has descended from tragedy to farce.
Not only did Brian Mulroney's ex-chef at 24 Sussex Drive not shed any new light on this non-story today, he even stated that Stevie Cameron twisted his words in her famous interview with him in her Mulroney hit job book, On the Take.
He made the committee hearings look like a fishing expedition and also lent credence to the theory many pro-Mulroney people have claimed about the Cameron book: that it was a politically-motivated smear.
End these ridiculous hearings now.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 11:44 PM
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Shalom, brother!
Monday, February 04, 2008
On the primaries
Foolish is the person willing to make any precise predictions about tomorrow's primary results, particularly for the Democrats. Obama is rising, slowly but surely, and one has to think that most undecideds will break his way in the end.
On the Republican side, I think it is safe at this point to call John McCain the presumptive nominee. I'd love to claim I predicted this, but its more like I hinted at it but hedged.
Like many conservatives, I have a love/hate relationship with the Arizona senator. I favoured him over George W. Bush in 2000. I was mesmerized by him after seeing him deliver a luncheon speech in Los Angeles in the summer of 1999. He is a riveting and inspiring speaker. But in the eight years since, McCain has taken the "maverick" shtick a bit too far for my tastes. It is one thing to be independent-minded, but it is another to be constantly on the other side of your own party and to attack its members.
Nevertheless, true to Republican meritocratic tradition (he who wins the nomination shall be he that lost the previous time) McCain deserves the nod and will stand a very good chance at winning the presidency, particularly if the Democrats nominate Hillary Clinton. In that sense, McCain is the right guy in the right place at the right time: he is identified as anti-Bush and is known as a fighter of wasteful spending, two things that are very unpopular with rank-and-file American voters at the moment.
The interesting question going forward for the Republicans will be who McCain picks as his VP candidate. One would think a conservative governor, he being a Senator and identified as less conservative. Mike Huckabee? Rick Perry? How about a woman candidate like Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison? My personal pick would be Lynne Cheney.
Get ready for a late night tomorrow.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 3:52 PM
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