Leaders Debate: while the Children Play, Harper Gets the Job Done

Leaders Deabte: Their looks say it all.. "You are the man, Stephen"

Well.

Color me somewhat impressed.

Not one to pull punches based upon pure partisan preference (say that six times fast) I was, I believe, properly critical of the Conservative machine engaging in opposition-style complaining about trivialities while failing to stand up to show the leadership Canadians need. (Michael voted where?..  yeah, yeah, but what about your plan to run our country?)

Well, I watched the debate last night, and I saw something that I haven't really seen in a while.

I saw a leader in Stephen Harper.

To be certain, there were no "turning points" or "knock-out punches".  I would be hard-pressed to say that the debate was likely to shift the polls significantly - however, the debate did make a pretty loud statement, and amplified the talking point that will, perhaps, define this election.  That while the children are outside playing, dad goes to work, gets his job done, and puts bread on the table for the family.

Stephen Harper was truly the lone man among children.

Gilles Duceppe came across worse than I have ever seen him - sputtering inane babble about the need to welcome immigrants, but not so much in Quebec.

Jack Layton did his best to suggest that immigrants are not being well served, but was constantly put in his place by his elder, Stephen Harper, who softly but very directly chastised him, pointing out the reality that immigration rates have increased under the Harper government and that while we would love to welcome the whole world to our shores tomorrow, little Jackie, we just can't bring everyone to Canada in one day.

And then there was Michael Ignatieff.

I must say, I was rather shocked.  For someone who has, apparently, taught at Harvard and lived abroad working in journalism and broadcasting, I guess I expected something rather impressive.

He wasn't.

When asked to comment on the need for immigrants to integrate into our broader culture, he not only didn't answer the question, but then made an amateurish effort to color himself as "one of them", telling us a couple of times about how his family were immigrants.  (Yes Michael, we know, your family came to Canada with nothing, and while there was scant food on the table, somehow you and your brother were able to attend a snotty private school.)

When asked about what was his plan to get tough on crime, he complained about the U.S. effort at "get tough on crime legislation", but really didn't articulate any liberal plan at all.  He was asked how he was going to make the streets safer, and he tried to turn it into a Liberal commercial for the gun registry, babbling on about the *gasp* need to address violence against women.

Really, Michael?

Uh, I think we got that memo about a decade ago.

We've had the gun registry for some time - but, yet, somehow the RCMP officers at Mayerthorpe still died, and while Kimveer Gill held a proper gun license and registered HIS firearm, somehow he still managed to go to Dawson College and shoot 20 people.  Please explain that Mr. Ignatieff.

Ignatieff looked uncomfortable, inarticulate, and certainly, was completely unable to ruffle a single feather on Stephen Harper who, over and over again, looked steel-eyed into the cameras and stated over and over again his resolute plan to keep the ship on course.

The bottom line - Stephen Harper looked the part of a statesman, taking the immature barbs from Jack Layton (I don't know why you need more jails, the criminals are happy in the Senate.. hahaha.. ba-dump-bump) and explaining, over and over again, how Canadians need government to tend to the business of governing and that this partisan bickering wasn't helping anyone.  How unless Canadians take a chance on a Conservative majority, we are going to have two more years of opposition bickering about nothing.

It was, in it's own quiet, confident way - rather impressive.

While the partisans will, no doubt, do their best to explain how "their guy" won, the reality is that the only person who did not look afraid of the outcome of this election was one Stephen Harper.

Last night, for the first time in this election, showing us a man among boys.