[Dion]

Regardless, Mount Royal University political analyst David Taras said Redford lacks the sure hand of former premier Ralph Klein when it comes to political damage control.

“Klein would have skated through this in about 30 seconds (given) ... his ability to appeal to the public and his incredible sort of sixth sense of where the public was,” Taras said Monday.

“What has changed is that (former premier Ed) Stelmach didn’t have any of those skills and we’re seeing from Redford a real lack of skill in being able to perform in the house, articulate a defence, appeal to the public and know where the public is.”

Pollster Marc Henry, president of ThinkHQ Public Affairs, said Redford is “acting like a lawyer.”

“You get into this lawyerly discussion about whether it was legal, not legal, you’re parsing things. You’re trying to win a legal argument,” said Henry, a former chief of staff to Calgary mayor Dave Bronconnier.

“The problem that she’s got is, this is not a legal argument. This is an argument in public opinion.”

Grant MacEwan University political science professor Chaldeans Mensah thinks politics has become harder-edged in Alberta.

“We have a very determined opposition in the Wildrose that has brought a new edginess to politics. They are on a perpetual campaign and they tend to dramatize political debate,” he said.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Al...379/story.html