Hit the mute button

This page has come to the conclusion that the Harper Conservatives are having trouble cancelling their subscription to Failed Republican Strategy. It's the only explanation I can come up with as to why with no immediate federal election in the offing, the Conservatives would launch a series of attack ads against Liberal Leader Stephane Dion. The Tories appear to have forgotten what happened to their GOP soulmates when they resorted to attack ads to fend off Democratic challengers in last year's elections. They also appear to have forgotten their own history with attack ads. In the tight British Columbia races of the last federal election, the Tories even went after the NDP with attack ads, and ended up losing four incumbent seats to the New Democrats.

It's particularly annoying that the Conservatives are concentrating their air assault against Dion during this Sunday's Super Bowl telecast. Canadian viewers have long complained that regulations allowing the Canadian rights holder (Global TV) to superimpose its feed of the game over the host U.S. network denies fans the sweetest entertainment plum of the afternoon: the clever and creative pleas for attention that are Super Bowl TV commercials. On Sunday afternoon, viewers won't be asking themselves if they can trust Stephane Dion, they'll be asking "I'm missing the Bud Bowl for this?"