Seriously, what was up with Dion's video response?!?

[Metric System]

My jaw dropped in disbelief when the anchors on CTV and CBC said that Dion's video-taped response hadn't yet been delivered to the networks AFTER Harper's video aired, even though they had allotted time for the response. Really?!? Ugh. This was so poorly bungled and frankly it was a disastrous move PR-wise. When the video finally aired it was shot way too close to Dion and looked like it was filmed using a camcorder. Even worse, the French version was shot even closer with Dion's head practically taking up the whole screen. Of course the Conservative TV (aka CTV) reporter Bob Fife tried to portray it as a sign of the coalition's impending implosion. He's an idiot, but even so, why give doubters and critics this kind of ammunition? There really is no excuse for the tardiness of the video. The poor quality could have been overlooked but the lateness made it even more noticeable. I mean, it took that much time and THAT was the best they came up with? The coalition had so much momentum and it seemed like they were on the ball, but there has been a lot of fumbling since the signing and it seems like they don't have much of a PR strategy.

[thenam]

1. Dion is the weak link

Dion lacks the shrewdness of Harper, there's no doubt about it. I am still surprised that Dion got away with being able to lead this coalition. But from what have been reading, it looks like Ignatieff and Rae are staying away to avoid damaging themselves politically if things go wrong. Best case scenario for them, of course, is that one of them takes over as PM next year. If the coalition fails, they lose nothing, though their party will be in trouble, and in desperate need of a new leader.

These next few days are going to be about as tense, politically, as anything we've seen in at least a decade or so (the 1995 Québec referendum is what I am thinking of, specifically). Harper is going to pull every dirty trick imaginable to save his own ass. It will be ugly, and some bridges are definitely going to be burned. Here in Québec, I think he has lost all chance to gain new ground, after his week of Bloc-bashing.

[Metric System]

2. As I heard someone say on TV tonight, Harper is potentially turning a political crisis into a

national unity crisis. This man will do anything to hold on to power. And as much as I think the Dion video was bungled badly, it doesn't even compare to Harper's divisive antics and what it says about HIS leadership (although "journalists" like Fife would like us to think otherwise).

[Bassic]

3. Fife is such a fucking windbag nt

[daleo]

4. This is all trivial stuff

I thought Harper's voice sounded really weird, like it had been run through some kind of computer algorithm to sweeten it (they have those for singers). So what. Substance is what matters now.

[Mother Jones]

5. True, it was weak

and he did stumble a bit, but so what. The message was there. Wish he would have spoken a bit more about how Harper is lying to Canada. Also wish he would have been more specific about his policies - I got an email from the coalition outlining some of their initiatives and they're brilliant! Why didn't he use it! (was also surprised he didn't speak in French too)

Jack was amazing. Perfect.

[Sandrine for you]

6. Dion got a very weak team around him...

He should resign and ask the liberal to put Ignatieff at the head. Dion is a shame to his party. A shame to the coalition. Too soft, too naive, too childish, too inefficient. He is not a leader.

Look at this butched video: ridicules. Look at the book beside him: Political for Dummies...