Varifrank: Canadian PM to Address Nation on Thursday

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Canadian PM to Address Nation on Thursday

On Thursday At 3:45 PDT. Must See TV...
UPDATE: As of Thursday, It's Moved up to 4:00 PDT.

OTTAWA - Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, whose Liberal government continues to draw heat over the sponsorship scandal, will address the country on Thursday.

Available on CBC Radio Via Web.

"The knee bones connected to the leg bone, the leg bone is connected to the foot bone...Git out yer hankies kids this is going to be a whopper.

UPDATE: Is the Canadian PM about to pull an LBJ? This post makes me think that this is much more unusual than I had thought previously.

Quote: "It is unprecedented without a genuine national emergency," said Catherine Murray, a communications professor at Simon Fraser University.

"If the national emergency is that the government is about to fall, I'm not sure that counts," said Lisa Young, political science professor at the University of Calgary.

She said the Liberal party should pay for the air time if Martin is simply going to try to save his political bacon.

"If it's meant as an attempt to save the Martin government from defeat and then from defeat at the polls, then it's inappropriate," she said. "If it's a partisan political announcement, then the party should be paying."

She said it's an unheard-of tactic for Canada.

"This is not something that we are accustomed to in any way," she said. "This is desperation."

Johnston said Martin is taking a big risk.

"It's got to be an act of desperation," Johnston said. "One wonders if this isn't another Martin misstep.

"Even if you're running out of options, do you want to make it so obvious that you are?"

UPDATE II: Early Release of the prepared speech(EMBARGOED UNTIL 4:00 PDT - MUST CREDIT VARIFRANK):

" Good Evening My Fellow Canadians, I just have one thing to say

Queue music -

Hello, I must be going.
I cannot stay, I came to say I must be going.
I'm glad I came, but just the same I must be going.

I'll stay a week or two.
I'll stay the summer through.
But I am telling you that I must be going.

I'll do anything you say.
In fact, I'll even stay!

But I must be going.

This fact I'll emphasize with stress:
I never take a drink unless somebody's buying.

I hate a dirty joke, I do,
unless it's told by someone who knows how to tell it.

So I must be a-going!"

(Groucho Marx appears in the role of the Canadian PM couresty of MGM)

UPDATE III: What-the-hell-was-that? Ok, Harpers now on deck. I smell sulfur...

UPDATE IV: Well I dont care when Martin calls for an election, because Harper is now off and running and for my ears, He's nailing Martins hide to the outhouse door . Nows its BQ's turn.

UPDATE V: BQ backing Harper. Ever heard the saying "Hell hath no wrath like a scored woman"? Same goes for Quebec. Scathing. Next up NPD..

UPDATE VI: NPD must be the silly party of Canada. "People suffering from Smog". Smog? In Canada? Sunny jim, you need to get out of town more often. The NDP guy sounds a hack, ignore appropriately. Now for the after show chew by the pundits...

UPDATE VII: What was Martin thinking? That this was somehow going to help? He swung for the fences and missed big time. There hasn't been this much blood in the water since the USS Indianapolis went down in 1945. Canadian pundit reaction seems to think its toast for the Liberal Party of Canada. They seem to think its only a matter of time before Steven Harper calls for a "No Confidence" vote prior to the end of the Gomery Commission.

UPDATE VIII: 'Canadian Media Pundit' opinion is that this was a badly handled political stunt that will come back to bite him.

UPDATE IX: Public reaction: "The message did not get through..." Apparently, Canadians dont like elections, particularly in the summer, so that plays into the timing of this. The choice seems to be between June and December for the next election. Pundit opinion is that as of this speech,they are already into an election season. I Concur...

UPDATE X: Gasp! Can-pundit just compared Martin to Nixon! D'oh!

Posted @ April 20, 2005 03:14 PM | Current Events