It's hard to believe that Stephen Harper is dusting off the attack ads he first brought out a few years ago in preparation for an election. For all the talk that none of the parties want one right now, it's hard not to wonder why it feels like we're smack in the middle of one. 

With Stephen Harper doing the media rounds under the auspices of reaching five years in office (My god, why does it feel like soooo much longer than that!) and a new, but not fresh, round of ads of the 'Smear” variety; And Michael Ignatieff back on the bus in a minor reprise of his Summer tour, it feels very much like I'll be clamouring for a job with Elections Canada in the near future. 

But, my job prospects notwithstanding, I'm not sure I'm looking forward to the “Ground Hog Day” of an election. The outcome is going to be the same, and the ads telling me that Michael Ignatieff is an anti-Canadian American mole are growing tedious, tiresome and trite.

I mean, seriously, in one of the ads, some guy with the dulcet tones of the Grim Reaper, sombrely warns us that Ignatieff would consider adding back the two percent to the GST that Harper removed, even though most economists, who rarely agree on anything except, maybe, cardigans – agree that it's more beneficial to individuals to reduce income taxes. But why do something that's good for the people if it doesn't appeal to the Conservative's base? How's that for self-interest?

And the ads just keep on hammering away at Ignatieffs time living ouside Canada, and most seriously, in the US. I don't know if Harper knows this, but you know, the Americans can hear you when you accuse Ignatieff of having cooties for living there. I don't know, Maybe you should cool it. After all, they are our best customers, and you do wanna keep selling the oilsands, don't you? I mean, those tailing ponds ain't going to fill themselves...

It just seems to me that, if after two-plus years in office since the last election, your lead hand is that Ignatieff lived in the US once, and not any actual accomplishments – I mean, I can't blame you, I can't think of any either - then maybe all you're doing is helping the electorate come to their senses. You might find this hard to believe, but a coalition government would not be the apocalypse. I happen to know this because Gilles Duceppe can't ride a horse.

I just wonder how many more rounds of this we'll take before we finally move on to another movie. Cause personally, I'm finally getting bored of this Groundhog Day.
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