"We Federalists Need to Carry The Water by Ourselves"

ik - from Paul Wells. Bravo Paul! (emphasis added)

Fighting the separatists is in his DNA

This is not only brilliant tactics, because it reminds us all how frequently we have seen Paul Martin's capacious and fast-receding butt whenever the going got tough.

(It turns out that when the prime minister said, five days ago, regarding Duceppe, "I'm going to meet him on every street corner, in every city and in every town and village in Quebec," that was just... you know... the beer and popcorn talking.)

As I say, it's not only brilliant tactics, it's also entirely appropriate. Stephen Harper has as much right to speak for Canada as any leader or any Canadian. Will he do a less-than-sterling job? Maybe. Will he say things I would regret? Ohhhhhh, yeah. Will he spend too much time promising change and not enough defending the root proposition that this is an easy country to like? Sadly, probably so. But folks: We seriously need to stop looking for federalism's white knight. We, or those of us who rather like federalism, need to carry the water all by ourselves. Each of us. Canada is an easy proposition to defend, if only you get into the habit.

And an unforgiving country toward anyone who loses the habit. That vanishing dot in the distance? That used to be the PM's butt.