Pander watch

Here's Harper early in the day Wednesday, scrumming with reporters:

"This is obviously not a budget we can support. I think this is a sign that this Parliament is seriously off the rails. This is fiscally irresponsible, and indefensible. I'm flabbergasted by the amount of taxpayers' money these guys are prepared to throw around to keep themselves in office." Climbing into a van, Harper said Paul Martin will "do just about anything" to stay in power, "and we can't allow a government to operate like this."

Here's Harper later in the day, in front of a rural audience:

"The NDP says they will not vote against corruption or scandal as long as their spending priorities go ahead. So what exactly did they get to buy their silence? "Nothing for workers, nothing for forestry workers in that $5 billion, nothing for seniors, nothing for fishermen, nothing to help the Atlantic offshore ... nothing for the problems here in this area. "Tommy Douglas must be rolling over in his grave when the NDP abandoned this country's farmers," Harper said.

So the point is ... they should have held out for more? Rhyming off lists of interest groups who were insufficiently bribed is not the way for Conservatives to get elected.