Moley - one day to go

5:45PM - Well folks, not much left to do here than get the vote out tommorow. So I am heading out to an undisclosed riding to make sure my candidate is victorious. Get out and vote cuz the mole told ya so. Moles everywhere - tunneling our way to victory!

3:45PM - Wandering around, not many people here, most people are out in the ridings pulling vote and all that. Guess I should be doing that as well, but the mole is fairly useless out on the hustings. What would I leak?

3:30PM - Now that was pretty fast. Awake, showered and to the war room in 13 minutes. Ah no, forgot my pants again. Dang it.

3:17PM - Oh no, it is the day before the election, and I just woke up!Crap - need to get to the war room quickly and leak some majorstuff...Hmmm, what could there be lying around?

Moley - the final weekend

11:11AM - If you have not seen this yet, check it out. It illustrates
beautfully the links between Harper, his front bench, and right-wing American organizations. Very well researched.

www.harperstiestousa.org

11:03AM - Jack Layton is the Ralph Nader of Canadian politics.

Moley - three days to go!

4:35PM - Jason Kenney, Conservative Party Deputy House Leader and campaign spokesperson is my star of the day. Turns out he was recorded speaking at an Albert Pro-Life conference in April of last year saying some awfully strange things. Here is a sample:

"[A] society which may have the outward appearance of being a democracy but which systematically violates these inalienable rights can become, and I quote John Paul the Second, 'a tyrant state'"

"A democracy which allows, which alienates those inalienable rights, which violates the inviolable dignity of the human person, which denies fundamental rights, like the right to life, is in a certain sense, no longer a democracy"

"Mr. Harper says if a Private Members' Bill were to come forward and were to pass on a free-vote basis that of course he would accept the will of Parliament"

"Paul Martin actually said, this was very little covered, that he, as Prime Minister in this Parliamentary democracy would disregard the will of Parliament as expressed in the adoption of a law through a Private Members' Bill on abortion"

To hear his speech for yourself, go to http://www.liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?id=11446

8:43AM - It was Stephen Harper's turn last night to be grilled in painful ways by the audience on the National. One of the most interesting moments on the show was the following exchange:

PETER MANSBRIDGE: "Have you traveled extensively?"

STEPHEN HARPER: "I actually haven't traveled that extensively, Peter. I've traveled a lot in Canada. Not so much around the world. I've been in North America and Mexico and parts of Europe, but not large -- there are large parts of the world I haven't been. My wife's different. My wife has travelled virtually everywhere in the world. I tell people she made quite a pilgrimage, drove from Johannesburg to Cairo for six months. I get a much more accurate read on the realities of life in other parts of the world from Laureen."

Hmmm. So looks like Laureen will have to join her husband in Cabinet meetings when they discuss 'foreign affairs'. "Stephen, ...no, no, Timbuktu is not a real country. And yes, Turkmenistan is different than Turkey. Yes, I know they sound the same."

Who was that other guy who ran to be the leader of a G8 country without ever having travelled...Yeah, that Dubya guy. I am just saying...

Moley - four days to go.

5:45PM - Can someone explain to me why Jack Layton only wants to attack Paul Martin? I haven't seen a sellout like this in quite some time. How can anyone vote for this guy? Here is someone who is so opportunistic that he is willing to trigger an election because he thought he would gain some seats, at the expense of programs that Canadians support like Child Care, the New Deal for Cities and Communities, and others.

Now, during the election when he sees voters running away from his party, he attacks Paul Martin. Excuse me?

I would like to point out the obvious that on January 24th there are only two people who can be Prime Minister - Paul Martin or Stephen Harper.

If you are a progressive voter, you only have one home.

Moley - Day 14. Five days to go!

7:02PM - Everyone, please watch the CBC news tonight. They are running a great story about Jack Layton getting grounded by bad weather today out east. Unable to make an event in another area, he was patched-in to the rally by speaker phone.

The image: a small but lively crowd, listening intently to a speakerphone with a microphone held over it. Awesome. No really, it was awesome.

Some advice to the other party leaders from the mole - if you get stranded and can't make an event, DO NOT phone in. Please. For the sake of our international reputation.

That said, it was the least jarring image of Jack Layton at a rally yet seen in this campaign.

Thanks Jack, you are a pro.

11:49AM - Stephen Harper's new line of attack is a doozy. 'Don't worry about being scared of me Canada, cuz there is a Liberal Senate, a Liberal bureaucracy, and a Liberal Supreme Court' -

I am not making this up.

Imagine what he could do without all the hindrances, he is telling us. Imagine what he could do without a Supreme Court that defends the Charter!

This could be one of the most telling things Mr. Harper has said so far on this campaign, and it should bother all Canadians.

11:35AM - Another 'Up is Down, Black is East' moment: A federal public service union (PSAC) has endorsed four Bloq candidates. Pardon?

8:46AM - Two things have become clear to me today. One is that polls are anything but scientific, and the other is that CTV's equivalent in the animal kingdom is an ostrich with its head in a hole, a blue hole.

One poll has the Conservatives up 18 points, the other 5 points. And Decima is reporting this morning that the Liberals have regained the lead in Ontario. Now that is what I call a margin of error!

Jack Layton's appearance on the National town hall last night was enough to turn voters, and stomachs, against him. The best way to describe his performance is 'false earnestness'.

A couple of excerpts (question is real, the answer may have been made up, as the real one was too boring and fake to post on this blog):

Questioner: "Mr. Layton, I'm wondering why you joined in bringing down the government sooner than you had to, why you gave up your power to make a difference for Canadians. Seems to me no matter the outcome of the election, you've lost your leverage. So my question is, why did you make that decision?"

Mr. Layton: "Now that is a terrific question, absoutely terrific. Like really wonderful. What's your name again? OK Suzy, it's Suzy right? I love that name. My great aunt was named Suzy, she is from Halifax. By the way Suzy, I love that sweater you are wearing. So to answer your question, that terrific question you asked, a very important question for all Canadians to hear the answer to. Sorry, what was the question again?"

And so on and so on.

Moley - Day 13. Six days to go.

9:15AM - Have I mentioned that Ekos is my favourite polling firm?

The Toronto Star this morning is reporting "Liberals close gap in survey: Race tightens with `Tory sag'" Their poll, conducted over the past two nights, shows the gap has narrowed to five points nationally.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1137451825284&call

This should make the upcoming week quite interesting...

Just to explain to those who have noticed the more Liberal-supportive tone in my postings, when in fact, I am the mole within the party, here is the explanation. It is a combination of self-interest and public interest. The demand for my services is far higher in government than in opposition, and Stephen Harper scares me silly.

8:21AM - The Think Twice coalition has set up a website, precisely with the intention to rail on Stephen Harper, his right-wing values, his hidden agenda and more.

It is a broad coalition of groups in the centre and on the left - health care groups, child care groups, environmental groups, professors of federalism and more.

Sounds like a good cause!

Here is their site.

www.thinktwicecanada.ca

Moley - Day 12

1:54PM - I know I should not leak two things in a ten minute span, but I could not resist this headline.

Layton: voters should try NDP 'just this once'

I don't know where to start on this one. It is just too easy.
Sounds like the conversations we all had in high school and university.

Hey man, try this...just once. C'mon, just try it. You will feel great after. No really, you will.
And you all remember how that worked out, don't ya. Ya feel good for 5 minutes, and then spend the next day in the washroom.

1:48PM - the battling platform numbers continues. Sources inside the Liberal War Room tell me (probably not knowing that I would tell Fife and Taber) that while the Conservative numbers have been kind of verified, then repudiated, then sort of verified again by one dude, the Liberal numbers have been verified independently by 15 experts.

Wow - this is a tough one to figure out. Hmmm. 15 experts vs. one guy who seems to be going back and forth...

Just for everyone's enjoyment, I stole the 15 names off the desk of our numbers guy who works here. He walked in on me rifling through the papers at his desk, so I had to pretend to write a limerick about Jack Layton on his desk. It is tough to find something that rhymes with opportunistic though.

So - here are the experts who validated the Liberal Plan, in no apparent order:

Bank Economists

- Don Drummond - TD Group
- Rick Egelton - BMO
- Avery Shenfield - CIBC
- Clément Gignac - National Bank Financial
- Helmut Pastrick - Credit Union Central of BC
- Gilles Soucy - Desjardins
- Craig Wright - RBC
- Warren Jestin, Mary Webb - Scotia Economics

Professional Economic Modelers

- Dale Orr - Global Insight
- Robert Fairholm - Centre for Spatial Economics

Think Tanks and Academic Institutions

- Glen Hodgson - Conference Board of Canada
- Peter Dungan - University of Toronto
- André Plourde - University of Alberta- Richard Harris - Simon Fraser University

9:45AM - So the Conservatives are defending their platform numbers by saying that they are going to 'negotiate' the fiscal imbalance and the health care guarantee, so it would be improper to put a number value on it.

Riiiiiight.

So what they are telling Canadians is that they will address the 'fiscal imbalance', estimated to be around $40 billion, and the health guarantee, which must be pricey, have no money allocated to them, and that there is no money left to spend on these areas...Hmmm...

So this is how their negotiations might go with the provinces on the fiscal imbalance and health care guarantee:

Provincial Premiers: "So the total cost of the fiscal imbalance will be $40 billion over the next 5 years."

Stephen Harper: "Hmmm...interesting...hmmm...can anyone lend me some money, I will pay you back, promise. Here, I will write you an IOU on this napkin."

Provincial Premiers: "So you are telling me you came here to negotiate, but you don't have any money?"

Stephen Harper: "No, what I am saying is...look over there! (Harper running from room).

Moley - Day 11

3:20PM - CP is reporting that "A prominent economist commissioned by the Conservatives to assess the financial soundness of their election platform says major items were omitted from the version he was given."

According to Paul Darby from the Conference Board of Canada, the guy who Harper says gave the ok to their numbers in their platform, Harper 'forgot' to include two major pieces in the costing information he was given.

One is their goal of redressing the 'fiscal imbalance', which experts have stated would costs anywhere between $12B and $20B per year. The second 'omission' is their health care
guarantee.

So they lied about the health care wait guarantee? Pretty hard to guarantee health care if you don't allocate any money to it. And not setting any money aside for the 'fiscal imbalance'? Pretty big omissions, don't you think?

Wow - wonder what else they forgot.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060112/tory_platform_060115/20060115?s_name=election2006&no_ads

10:11AM - This morning, CBC hosted a speed-dating session for undecided voters with four political analysts. I am not making this up.

What would have been really interesting would have been a speed dating session with each of the leaders.

Here is how it might have gone...

Undecided voter to Jack Layton: "Dude, why do you keep saying there are more than two choices in this election, I get it! No seriously, stop saying that. Stop it. I will leave if you say there is a third choice one more time. That's it, I am outta here."

Undecided voter to Stephen Harper: "Hey man, just relax. You look pretty stressed out. Smile, laugh a little. Have a glass of wine. You want rosee, really? Ok, why not... Yeah, I guess less taxes would be good. Yeah, I guess $1200 for child care is better than nothing, but I thought the problem was the lack of spaces? Hey man, don't yell at me. Why are you getting all red in the face like that?"

Undecided voter to Paul Martin: "The election is about values? What kind of values - oh, your values, ok. What about your values? They are different from Stephen Harper's, got it. Really different? OK, point taken. Radically different? Wow, ok."

6:49AM - Leak from the Liberal War Room. Paul Martin will announce new money for his New Deal for Cities this morning.

This follows Harper's announcement for cities, which offered money for highways that are...wait for it...not in cities!

And Jack Layton's announcement that...wait for it...who cares!

Specifically here is what the PM announced:
- legislate gas tax for 20 years
- $5B new money for big infrastructure projects in cities
- $1B new fund for community centres

Moley - Day 10

2:02PM - news of the day - David Hasselhoff is now single.

11:53AM - It appears that Buzz Hargrove was involved in starting a group called Think Twice, a coalition of organizations that wants to make sure Stephen Harper does not win.

The coalition included women's organizations, environmental groups, student groups, child care groups, equality rights groups, and more. The list is quite amazing. Turns out a lot of people don't like Mr. Harper. Shocking!

Here are some of the notable quotes:

"Stephen Harper is not promising to be the head waiter to the provinces as Trudeau once said of Joe Clark. He is promising to be the bus boy." Barbara Cameron, Professor, York University

"I got into a bit of controversy when I recommended, back in December, that our members, that New Democrats vote for New Democrats where they have a chance to getting elected, and then vote to stop Harper; and if that meant voting Liberal in some ridings we should do that. I want to emphasize that today it is even more important today than it was when our leadership adopted that position." Buzz Hargrove, President, CAW

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2006/13/c2160.html

Moley - Day 9

7:12PM - Nuff said.

5:45PM - I love that Monte could not explain his own platform to the reporters after the launch this morning. The Conservative mole tells me the pitch went something like this: "Now if you have 4 apples and you subtract 6 apples, wait, what is that banana doing there? Ah crap, let's start over."

There has been a lot of thrashing back and forth today on the Tory numbers, but after it all settles, two words best describes the Conservative addition skills: broken abacus.

"Voodoo economics" CTV Reporter Bob Fife
"A formula for fudge" Minister of Finance Ralph Goodale
"A $30 Billion hole" Minister of Finance Ralph Goodale
"hocus pocus make-believe" Minister of Finance Ralph Goodale

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060112/elxn_tory_platform_060111/20060113?s_name=election2006

10:09AM - HOLEY MOLEY!

From CTV News (Bob Fife) commenting on the Conservative platform:

"I have to say there was a lot of confusion, a lot of voodoo economics this morning as we tried to figure out where the Conservative platform was going in terms of cost."

Nice work Fifey, I always liked ya.

9:00AM - the headlines this morning make me think of a brilliant commercial that the Labour Party in the UK put together in their 2005 election.

I am sure everyone remembers having a first date with someone who you might have heard bad things about from a friend, but who was very charming at dinner. You have a good laugh or two over some wine - he/she seems ok, what was your friend talking about?

And then you wake up the next morning...and roll over...

All I am saying is be careful who you take home with you on January 23rd. You would not want to catch something icky.

http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2005/channel4-election-virals-p1.php

Moley - Day 8

6:46PM - To throw Taber off my trail, I have changed my date line to Slovak.

Sneaky. Real sneaky. I know she only reads Czech.

6:06PM - Rick Mercer hitting the nail on the head.
"Rondo Thomas – Minister in Charge of Holy Wars"
www.rickmercer.blogspot.com

5:48PM - In other news, Goldy Hyder managed to discuss the Derek Zeisman 'going to court' issue and utter the words 'he is innocent until proven guilty' without being struck down by lightning. Kind of like how Ralph Goodale was innocent until proven guity, huh Goldy?

5:01PM - Let's talk about ads. Yes, negative ads.

I think I am missing something. No one seems to be able to stop talking about the Liberal negative ads, will they work, are they that negative, who is Mike Harris, etc.

Correct me if I am wrong (or try, cuz I am still figuring out the comments thing on the ol' blog) but didn't the Conservatives run negative ads three weeks ago that used testimony that was later discredited by Gomery?

And seriously, who made those commercials, they are awful, like grade-school film project awful - and for the sake of all that is good, stop that flippin honkin!

So we will let the viewers decide. One link takes you to the most negative Conservative commercial, and the other to the most negative Liberal commercial (that will run on the air). You be the judge.

http://www.liberal.ca/multimedia_e.aspx?id=70 (ad - Choose your Canada: Washington Times)
http://www.conservative.ca/ (ad - Can we believe him?)


12:51PM - 8 year old Daniel Cook likes Paul Martin!

Word is circulating that CTV special correspondent Daniel Cook had a "good time" with the Prime Minister, and says he is "really, really nice". As far as anyone at CTV can remember, it is the first time the words 'good' and 'nice' have been used in the same sentence as 'Paul Martin' on the air.

Word is that the spat between Fife and Cook has been renewed over this interview, that Fife was heard in the washroom saying "that little son of a gun - who does he think he is, messing with the Fifester - nobody messes with the Fifester..."


12:05PM - Rob Anders Missing!

CTV is running the story that locals have not seen Rob Anders in days, and he is missing all-candidates debates. Following Cheryl Gallant's disappearing act last week, one can only imagine that he has been muffled by Harper as well.

And with quotes like this from Mr. Anders, I might muffle him as well:

"[Honouring Nelson Mendela is a] total political-correctness poster-boy thing... He was a Communist. He was a terrorist..." Calgary West MP Rob Anders, June 2001.

"What happens if a boatload [of immigrants] comes over from wherever and
decides that they want to cast ballots?" Calgary West Conservative MP Rob Anders, Edmonton Journal, October 2, 2000

10:45AM - Leak claims Harper is a Trekkie (not a mole, a leak - she told them her name)

Rondi Adamson, a contributor to Conservative party member Ezra Levant's blog at the Western Standard newspaper, says Stephen Harper is a huge Star Trek fan. A source close to the Tory leader is quoted on the blog as saying Harper is such a Trekkie, he's seen every episode several times and even quotes from them (story from Peterborough Examiner)

8:18AM - So the morning began with CTV and the Globe reporting that Derek Zeisman, a Conservative candidate in BC, will be going to court on smuggling charges. Yes, smuggling. Into Canada. Charged. In Canada. I am not making this stuff up. (thanks Paul Wells, your blog was the funniest thing on the planet yesterday).

The Conservative reaction to this has been nothing short of unbelievable, stating that Mr. Zeisman is innocent until proven guilty. And they are right, he should be. But the fact that they have the gall to say this after going hog wild on an RCMP investigation that specifically stated that Goodale was not a target is nothing short of breathtaking in its hypocrisy.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051230/derek_zeisman_whistleblower_060111/20060112?s_name=election2006

Moley - Day 7

8:45PM - You gotta love Belinda. This afternoon she came out firing at Harper - hitting him where it hurts - yeah, down there...right in his 'hidden agendas'.

Check out CTV's piece on it - quite a good piece of reporting - refreshing almost.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060111/ELXN_Stronach_response_060111/20060111?s_name=election2006&no_ads=

One quote from it as a teaser...

"Just beneath the surface of the safest campaign planning lies the real heart of the Stephen Harper Conservative Party -- ideological, narrow, intolerant," said Stronach in the statement. "Mr. Harper himself has not changed since the days not long ago when he was an outspoken neo-con ideologue, who ran a right-wing organization and admired the Republican right in the U.S. more than his own Canadian political culture."

5:28PM - Sooooo, what does everyone think of my work last night with the platform? Not bad huh? Pretty clever to give it to the Western Standard - no one expected that.

I hear the mole in the Conservative war room is having a heck of a time leaking their platform. Turns out they are making some 'changes'. Apparently they printed their final copies, looked at the back where the numbers are, and saw a $12 Billion deficit!

So now they are cutting like mad - just tearing out pages randomly and playing 'eenie, meenie, minie, mo...'

Looking forward to watching Duffy tonight - I heard that 8 year old Daniel Cook intimidated him today, and he is going to yell at him during his report.

11:48AM - Angelina is pregnant. Now that will be a good looking baby. Sorry Jennifer, but it really will.

Moley - Day 6

11:58AM - HOLEY MOLEY! Looks like Randy White, Part 2!
It appears Conservative candidate Rondo Thomas (Ajax-Pickering) was caught on video speaking to a group of supporters against same-sex marriage, and saying some pretty funky things.

It is short, and it is sweet. So this is why Stephen Harper is not letting his candidates talk, huh.

http://www.trailervision.com/trailer.php?id=166

8:18AM - Well the debate last night freaked me out, and I do not scare easily - heck, I have Jane Taber on my tail, and I still sleep soundly.

The image that haunted me in my dreams was Stephen Harper, with that plastered-on perma-grin, sweetly saying to Canadians that he 'shares their values'. All I could think of was a wolf, hiding in sheep's clothing, smiling sweetly at the rest of the flock, a little bit of drool falling onto his fleece.

Has no one read his 1997 speech? Have we forgotton what this man has said about his country? Yikes. http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/leadersparties/harper_speech.html

Sorry about that - sometimes even a mole has to vent.

7:15AM - Best moment of yesterday. Mr. Philpot and Mr. Lester trashing the federal government in their new book, then having to admit that it was partially funded by Canadian Heritage! That's awesome!

Moley - Day 5 - Debate Day!

7:44PM - Conservative speaking notes for the debate leaked to Duffy by Conservamole. Very embarrassing - here are some of the key points given to Harper by his top advisors before the debate:

1. Use your "baby face" - that lovely smile of yours
2. Look into the camera, and no staring at Jack Layton's moustache
3. Try not to smile when saying 'I will not use the notwithstanding clause' or 'I did not want troops in Iraq'
4. No winking at Tom Flanagan
5. Do not mention the words 'majority', 'Toews' or '1997 Speech to the Council on National Policy where I showed my true disdain for Canada'.
6. Have fun, go get em Stevie!

6:45PM - The new format for the debate tonight has just been
released - it will be more confrontational than the last one, and
will include jello...more to come...

6:15PM - less than 2 hours to the debate, and the always insightful and savvy Bob Fife has dropped the following golden nugget on the populace:

"Paul Martin seems to always go for minorities, not majorities." Wham. That bomb just dropped in the war room. People are frantic, wondering why no one in the room had realized that.

There is sorrow flowing through the war room - why didn't Fife tell us this earlier? Why didn't anyone think of trying for a majority? The feeling of disappointment is palpable.

3:54PM - Rick Mercer at it again - scaring all Canadians.

www.rickmercer.blogspot.com

11:51AM - HOLEY MOLEY!

Turns out Vic Toews has been taking jaunts south of the border to talk about overriding Charter Rights, in this case same-sex marriage. Audio tape shows that Vic chatted with Concerned Women for America (CWA) back in 2003 about using the notwithstanding clause to override the Charter. Nice work Vic! Hanging out with all the cool kids south of the border!

http://www.liberal.ca/images/dir/audio_clips/victoews_clip2.mp3

People for the American Way have a nice link on CWA that includes their views on a number of issues:

• CWA supports the "Truth in Love" campaign that says that homosexuality is a sin and claims gays and lesbians can become "straight" through "the love of Jesus Christ."
• CWA has been active in the fight against using Harry Potter books in schools. Publications such as "Harry Potter: Seduction of the Occult" claim that the books promote the practice of witchcraft among children.

http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=3151

7:45AM - the Conservatives sent out a release last night critiquing the new Liberal TV ads. The highlight is clearly their attempt to defend Stephen Harper's Iraq record, which is now bordering on the absurd.

From the Conservative release - Stephen Harper: "Our government will not be sending troops to Iraq." (National Post, December 14, 2005) December 14th, 2005? You mean during this election campaign? Nice quote Conservative war room! No wonder the mole in their office did not release it - it is embarassing.

How bout we try a quote from Harper not from during this election campaign, but from around the time when the decision had to be made, maybe?

Like - "We support the war effort and believe we should be supporting our troops and our allies and be there with them doing everything necessary to win." Stephen Harper (Montreal Gazette, April 2, 2003)

Yeah - that's better.

Moley - Day 4

3:30PM - Two important issues to report:

1. Tom and Katie are on the rocks! Turns out they had a bad holiday at her parent's house, something to do with a scrub brush and the musical Moulin Rouge.

2. David Akin has explained on his blog how he counts people at events - following some 'criticism' of his 1200-1500 person count at a Harper campaign rally the other night. To give credit where credit is due, he clearly makes an honest attempt to figure out how many people are there, based on the number of chairs plus quick counts of standing room people. It is clearly a guess, but in his case an educated one.
(http://david-akin.electionblog.ctv.ca/)

Bob Fife is yet to give an account of how he counts crowds, but credible sources from the NDP campaign recently heard him walking in circles around an event room muttering: "One potato, two potato, three potato, four..."

12:26PM - Black is down, white is east - the world has been turned upside down, hell has frozen over, etc, etc... CTV is reporting that the Conservatives will increase the tax burden for low and middle income Canadians.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060103/martin_address_060108/20060108?s_name=election2006

10:46AM - Rumours are swirling again around the war room that at the PM's press conference this morning, the question on the Conservatives $4B a year income tax increase - came from, please sit down, drums rolling, hearts beating just a little bit faster, sweat rolling down brow...Bob Fife!

The source is reputable, and sober. And so the Liberal Mole would like to be the first person to formally congratulate Mr. Fife on his question. Maybe it was the pressure Daniel Cook was putting on him, maybe it was the Duffy spat, who knows.

Now the big question - will he report it? The nation waits with bated breath.

Now, where are my poached eggs?

Moley - Day 3

January 7th, 2005

2:00PM - Word flying around the office here is that Harper is saying his tax increase and GST cut favours poor Canadians. Word flying around the Conservative war room is that they are trying desperately to hide the fact that the CPC plan will put hundreds of thousands of Canadians back on the tax roll (by lowering the threshold - like I know what that means).

I can't wait to hear Harper tell low-income Canadians that they are goin back on the tax rolls! They are gonna be pumped!

P.S. I think I might have been spun on this one - and it is starting to make me worry that people know I am the mole. Crap. Gotta leave town - crap. Debates. Gotta lie low for a bit.

7:15AM – My first HOLEY MOLEY (means big mole moment): Big juicy gossip out of the Liberal camp. They found out from Conservamole that the Conservative ‘tax plan’ includes a $4B personal income tax increase to pay for their GST cut. Most of the increase falls on low-income peeps. I look forward to seeing Monte and Jason try and squirm their way out of this one.

Nice work Conservamole (though I am slightly jealous, and a little angry for missing this doozy).

Moley - Day 2

January 6th, 2005

10:30PM – My inside info in the mole world has led me to this juicy piece of info. Turns out that CTV has a mole inside the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who is working the numbers for them. In this case, the numbers are the audience count for Liberal and Conservative rallies. So these math wizards looked at two rallies that looked of similar size on television and determined that one rally had 200 people and the other had 1200-1500. If you can guess which was which, you get a shiny new David Akin business card.

According to SES, the Liberals lead in Ontario by 8 points. Who is that out on that ledge – it is William Stairs, who spent time at the Stephen Harper Smiling School two years ago.

7:18PM – Dan Matheson and Bob Fife just gave some incredible insight that I feel I should pass on – Matheson asked Fife why Martin isn’t talking about his record, such as the strength of the economy. Fife, before being struck down by lightning – stated that Martin was trying but that other things were overshadowing his record. Hmmm…wonder who is spreading those rumours, huh Bobby. I long for the straight shooting Daniel Cook.

7:17PM – Bob Fife has caught me! He must have a mole in my mole organization. I never told him I had the whole Liberal platform – damn, this means an internal house cleaning. I am officially writing the RCMP to investigate a leak in my mole organization. They should be interviewing Bob Fife tomorrow.

It’s mayhem in moledom!!!!!

4:39PM – Fact Check: Jane Taber and Bob Fife are pretending to be Canada’s version of Woodward and Bernstein on all this stuff. In fact, I have not revealed my identity to them, nor have I established a cool/dirty nickname like Deep Throat. I have tastefully revealed pieces of info anonymously to Ms. Taber and Mr. Fife – but I also supply information to other key players.

I watched Goldy Hyder earlier on Duffy, and I have to tell you, my moledar was up – that guy has mole written all over him. Little bit shady, hair a little bit too producty, teeth just a little too white. But then again, I have been wrong in the past. I once thought I saw Art Hanger on an NRA infomercial. No wait, I was right about that.

It is too bad that to be a mole you have to be in the war room, cuz let me tell you, the fun is being out on the road. We don’t go ‘outside’ much. Most of the light that hits our skin is ‘fluorescent’. As a result, my skin is very ‘delicate.’ Not unlike that of a real mole, by the way.

1:14PM (late lunch, writing while eating Tacos) - I hear that the Conservatives think someone is listening in to their morning strategy calls – I have chatted with Conservamole, my intern mole friend over at CPC HQ, and it turns out it is not him/her. He/she is pissed!

In the mole community, burrowing through someone else’s turf is a big no-no. Considering that our value-added comes from supplying confidential information to an outside source before anyone else does, being the only mole is a pretty important part of your job description.

Tomorrow should be an interesting day for the Liberals. It seems they are planning something big, but are being tight-lipped within the office about it. Dang I love a challenge. Time to go make small talk with the big-wigs over some corn chips and leftover pizza in the kitchen.

10:14AM – Hot tip from the streets of Ottawa (and no, I will not tell all those ‘mole seekers’ what street). Turns out Mike Duffy is being investigated by the RCMP on allegations that he was the ‘phantom streaker’ at last summer’s Musical Ride performance in Ottawa.

The best thing about being a mole is I do not have to prove anything – sound familiar, anyone…

I think I should clarify something before we get too far down the line. Yes, I am a mole. Yes, I am technically “blind”. Yes I like burrowing in holes. But remember, at the end of the day, I am a Liberal. So while I do spend much of my time ‘selling out’ the Liberal Party, I still have some fondness for them. Or at least some of them – like Warren (Allmand).

Since I came out of the proverbial mole-closet yesterday, I have had to step up my counter-surveillance techniques to ensure I do not get caught. Here are some of the things I have done today to avoid detection:

1. Have stopped flossing at the office – saw a CSI episode where someone got DNA evidence off of floss.
2. Have stopped eating corn at the office because of #1.
3. I wear shoes with a different tread every day of the week, in case footprints are discovered in the photocopy room where I spilled my cheese dip yesterday.
4. I sleep at my parents’ house. OK, to be honest that is because I like living at home (the cooking is better, and my mom does my laundry). But let’s face it, no one expects a high-powered mole to live with their parents!

5. I had a facelift and a butt job before the campaign. Really!

I've been found! (Day 1)

A Mole’s Election Blog

January 5th, 2005

8:02PM – I know I am supposed to be ‘moleing’ the Liberals, but my buddy is a mole intern over at the Conservative war room, and he told me that Stephen Harper is going to talk about Liberal ethics tomorrow. OK, that isn’t the best ‘moleing’ I have ever seen, certainly not up to my standards (due to his constant, and I mean constant, repetition), but hey, he is an intern. I mean, he OR she is an intern… Also known as ‘molette’, but not to be confused with a female mole (which is a molee) or a mullet, which as we all know, is all about business on top and partying in the back.

No, seriously – sounds like Stephen will announce something again on “child care” or as we like to call it “a tax break dressed up as child care.” Everyone around here is looking forward to Mr. Harper interacting with children again – kind of reminds me of Keanu Reeves’ in Point Break. Makes everyone feel just a bit awkward.

Gotta run – busy day tomorrow – think I have a lead on a Scott Reid statement.

6:30PM – The Liberal Mole wants to pass on the shady information that SES is secretly reporting an 8 point Liberal lead in Ontario. Uh oh, even I am scared to tell Bob Fife this juicy info. And this is bigger than Fife. Better go straight to the top dog - Daniel Cook. Though please see the news release from Molewire –

News Release - January 5th, 2006

Bob Fife leaving CTV? Fife angry with CTV for hiring new reporter for
Countdown

Ottawa - Word has leaked from CTV headquarters in Ottawa that Ottawa
Bureau Chief Bob Fife is considering leaving CTV over an apparent slight on
Mike Duffy's Countdown on January 5th.

Eight-year-old Daniel Cook, a Gemini Award nominee and star of
television's This is Daniel Cook, was hired by CTV News to report on the Federal
Election campaign. His primary assignment will be for CTV Newsnet's Countdown with Mike Duffy.

A mole in the CTV newsroom has told CBC that Fife was not told in
Advance that Cook would be taking over the one-on-one interview role that he had thought was his. "Fife was running around the newsroom, screaming at Duffy and throwing paper clips at interns. It was a bit scary." The source did not want to be revealed for fear of recrimination.

Duffy could not be reached for comment, but apparently sent the following email to another reporter via Blackberry late last night. "I mean, what is Fife's problem? The kid is 8 for god's sake - why is he so insecure? What a baby." The email was accidentally sent to a Natural Heritage Party organizer in the Yukon named Tom Clarke - the proper destination of the email is not know.

Before joining CTV News in February of 2005, Fife was the Ottawa Bureau Chief for CanWest News Service and the National Post.

4:50PM - Headed over to the war room in Ottawa for a bit this afternoon, to catch up on planned announcements and grab some of the cheese dip that they are famous for. I usually put it on crackers, but today decided to go for some veggies. These campaigns always try my health.

Walked in on a meeting this afternoon on the environment. They were planning an event on polar ice caps, or polar bears and night caps – one of the two, I spilled some cheese dip on my notes. I am not the neatest of moles, I have to admit.

Either way, the announcement will take place somewhere in the North – I was told to order big fuzzy jackets for the plane people (that is the term we ‘insiders’ use for the people that travel with the PM). Now that I think of it, I should share some of the key lingo of the ‘war room’ so that you all know what I know.

“Rub, rub, rub – where is my grub” – a song that is sung in the war room 15 minutes before lunch and dinner arrive.

“cold cuts” – what we call dinner, only because we eat them 4 times a week.

“copy” – used both as material to be put in brochures, press releases and the like, as well as making duplicates of a product. This can be confusing at times, when you are asked to make copy – which do you do? Follow-up questions are not encouraged in the war room.

That is all for now – should give you a good feel for the dynamics of a mole’s life – and get you ready for more juicy leaks to come in the next few days.

1:12PM - Now that my identity has been somehow found out by the hounds at CTV, the least I can do is share my insight on how I think the campaign is going so far.

Let me start off with the following statement – life as a mole is not easy, and it does not pay particularly well. That being said, there is something about the cloak-and-dagger nature of this job that appeals to me. In my former life, I bootlegged rum around the Caribbean.

It’s also tough to make friends – cuz when it comes out that you were the mole…well, you know how that goes. But the travel is nice. And the people at CTV have treated me extremely well – I even got invited to their Christmas Party! Though I have to admit, having them print off a name tag with “Mole” on it was slightly embarrassing.

So welcome to my blog, and get ready for some great anecdotes, gossip, and the juicy details about Liberal policy announcements.