Canadian Politics.

- I don't really know what to think of the Liberals electing Stephane Dion as their new leader this weekend. I actually like him but I don't see him as having a lot of appeal as a party leader. At the very least he makes Stephen Harper look downright charismatic so in that regard I'm glad Ignatieff didn't walk away as the leader. And as someone who grew up in Toronto during the Rae days I was having nightmares about a minority government lead by Bob Rae (best button was one John Baird apparently had made that said "Vote for Rae. Go for broke.")propped up by Jack Layton.

Turning back to Dion, I think he is very capable and never got the credit he deserved for the Carity Act but will he be able to gain support in Quebec, or enough to win back enough seats in Toronto? He won't get any support out west. I also think there is more to him than the environment (more on that below), I think he was using it as his main issue to differentiate himself from other candidates. The next election just became the Tories minority to lose (there won't be a majority in this country for a long time).

- Alberta Tories elected relative unknown Jim Dinning as their new leader this weekend. This outs an offical end to the reign of Ralph Klein, Canada's very own kleptocracy. Correction: They elected Ed Stelmach not Dinning. Very tired this morning.

Question: If you were a Liberal in Alberta would you have joined the Tories to vote in this leadership election? I would have knowing it would be the only way I would ever have any say in who my Premier would be.

- I think governments that don't believe in Global Warming are taking a very stupid, pigheaded, and shortsighted approach to it. Whether or not you buy into Global Warming as fact (for the record I think it is complete hooey), you need to buy into the fact that more and more people are buying into it as fact and the momentum is only going to increase (or to use a cliche: the horse has left the barn). Smart governments, and I'm not ready to declare Harper's Tories a smart government yet, would take advantage of Global Warming hysteria and pour research dollars into new processes that are more "environmentally friendly" and export them worldwide and make a killing off of it. My old adage comes into play here - If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Then Beat 'em. I'm dead serious about that too. What could be more free market than making the lefties think you're with them only to make obscene profits off of their beliefs.