Election? I am (election) not even (election) thinking about (election) the election

PM says election call on backburner, wants to deal with other issues first BURLINGTON, Ont. (CP) - Prime Minister Paul Martin insists he has put calling a federal election behind dealing with the important issues confronting the country. "As far as I'm concerned, we are governing," Martin said Monday at the end of a hectic day of private meetings with community leaders in southern Ontario, his latest outing in a series of election-style appearances. "We are going to govern until such time as we call the election and I'm not going to let the election call get in the way (of) what is really the important business of Canada," Martin said.

You can't make this stuff up. While on an election-style tour -- where he has been most of the past several weeks -- the Prime Minister declares he doesn't intend to let all this election talk (where did that come from?) get in the way of governing. Fine: then announce there will be no election until at least the fall. And start governing. UPDATE: This story seems somehow related. UPPERDATE: This story says the Martinites are giving "growing consideration" to a fall election. What does "growing consideration" mean? Is it like "partly cloudy"? Here's a clue:

"We're trying to make it clear that we are governing," a senior Liberal said yesterday. "If an election opportunity arises, we may take it, but our first priority is to govern and govern well."

Translation: If we go, we don't want to be accused of opportunism ("we're trying to make it clear that we are governing"), even though that's what it is ("if an election opportunity arises, we may take it"). And what would guide that choice?

"It's all about the [polling] numbers."

You mean, it's not about having to get a mandate? UPPESTDATE: Meanwhile, just to hold the PM's feet to the fire, Stephen Harper has tabled a bill calling for fixed election dates. Long before Adscam broke, I felt this issue, the early election, was the Prime Minister's achilles heel. It just belies everything he's been saying about ethical and democratic reform. There's no way to explain it other than crass political opportunism, and the longer they had to think of it, the more this would sink in with people. Adscam only redoubled this: to even think of calling an election in the middle of a major corruption scandal meant the PM was not only taking advantage of the opposition -- he was taking advantage of the public. UPPESTDATER: L. Ian MacDonald says the spring election is off. Reason: they have yet to "move the numbers" in Quebec. (That's how political people talk: the public and what the public believes are just so many "numbers" to be "moved.") And they're running out of dates. MacDonald says June 21 is out, because it's the day after the referendums on municipal de-mergers in Quebec. The Globe story rules out June 7 and 14, as Martin will be out of the country for much of that time, first at the 60th anniversary of D-Day, then at the G-8 Summit. May 25 and 31 are also said to be out, the first to allow time for Chuck Guité's testimony on April 22, the second on account of Martin's hastily-arranged trip to Washington. Then there's the matter of David Herle's birthday ... Do you get the feeling they're looking for a way out of a spring election?