[Ronald Pagan]

What Harper Must Do:

What these people are telling me is that the only course that could avert this disaster for the Conservatives would be a show of humility and non-partisanship from the Prime Minister.
They are saying this would require the removal of Jim Flaherty as Finance Minister, significant changes in the PMO, and a heartfelt statement of apology from the Prime Minister.
It would also be critical for the Prime Minister to make a number of unifying gestures to reduce the toxic atmosphere in Parliament.
Options would include inviting a Liberal Senator or MP to join his Ministry, taking on a prominent moderate public intellectual as a senior advisor, consulting the opposition routinely for advice on the budget, shuffling his Cabinet to introduce more moderates to senior roles, and simply adopting a more collegial tone in the Commons.
But these sources agree that such a move from Stephen Harper would be so uncharacteristic as to be unimaginable.
It's as if the Harper government has found itself in quicksand, and rather than relax and slowly work their way out of the trap, they are struggling to their doom.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...tory/WBSteele/