The Tories will knock on Wood...

...but, for what it's worth, here's an e-mail Preston Manning's former communications director fired off to the Alberta Liberals today:

I have met a lot of politicians over the years including every Prime Minister going back to and including John Diefenbaker except Kim Campbell. My list includes a lot of Premiers as well, including Ernest Manning, Duff Roblin, John Robarts, Bob Stanfield, W.A.C. Bennett, Bill Bennett, Lougheed, Klein, Bernard Lord, Joey Smallwood, Robichaud of New Brunswick and several more. All of this just to establish that I can claim finely honed instincts when it comes to politicians and which ones I’d trust and those I wouldn’t. I met Kevin Taft for the first time yesterday in a political social setting and came away convinced that deciding to support and vote for the provincial Alberta Liberals was the right decision. Those finely honed instincts tell me that Kevin Taft is a straight shooter and will be a Premier in whose hands my beloved Alberta will be safe and thoughtfully managed.

It is my hope that in the waning days of the campaign, Albertans will wake up and see that it is time for political renewal and recognize that their only hope for that renewal is with Kevin Taft and his team. He is not a glad-handing, back-slapping politician of which we have abundance in Alberta . He is one of those rare types who can focus on the people he meets as individuals and not just one more voter he has to shake hands with quickly so he can move on to the next one. This is not a skill politicians develop, they’re either born with it or don’t have it. There are politicians who can work a room because there are votes in it. The more and valuable politicians are those who work a room because there people in it. I watched Kevin Taft closely at the Sunday event and I know he knows and appreciates the difference between a room full of votes and a room full of people.

Say My Name, Say My Name

I'm not sure if this reflects worse on Ed Stelmach, or on Brian Mason:

A reporter asked Stelmach to react to NDP Leader Brian Mason's earlier release of an email his party received from the chair of the province's royalty review panel, Bill Hunter.

Here's what Stelmach said: "I'm not aware of Bill's comments uh and uh... and and even if he did talk to or if he did or didn't talk to Bill Mason... uh, or ... whatever his name is."

Off microphone, a Calgary PC candidate volunteered to the leader: "Brian." So Stelmach continued: "Brian. Yes." That then drew laughter from the Calgary candidates.

In Other News...

I wouldn't over emphasize this one too much because, in fairness, it's only one dude, but here's what Preston Manning's former press secretary and hard right Reformer Ron Wood had to say yesterday:

For 40 years Ron has supported right-wing parties. His dad's side of the family has been of the conservative stripe for a century. But, in this election, Ron is voting Liberal and telling people why.

"You go back to Getty and his solution to everything was smother it with money, every time there was a hiccup he threw money at it. Stelmach is doing the same thing," says Ron, who got this page his first interview with Manning.

[...]

But voting Liberal doesn't mean Ron is bending the knee leftward.

"I am still a fiscal conservative, But the funny thing is so is Dave Taylor, so is Pat Murray. From what I've read Kevin Taft is a cautious spender," says the Reform party insider.