There's smoke, and there's flames, now...

The five stages of grief: denial... anger... bargaining... depression ... dancing:

By Friday the mood on the Liberal campaign had turned to a giddy optimism despite the gloomy predictions that they're likely to come out the biggest losers on Jan. 23.
Mid-flight to Montreal from Hamilton the air stewards shut the curtain to the first-class cabin where the PM, his wife Sheila and the Liberal brains pumped up the tunes and whooped it up, dancing in the aisle to the latest hits.
Even Martin's fresh loss in B.C. of a candidate over allegations of bribery and the grim prospects in Quebec couldn't dampen his team's spirits as they declared certain victory during their weekend blitz of Montreal.
When asked what he believed was the turning point in the campaign in Harper's favour, Martin responded: "I think the important question is when did it become clear we were going to win and the answer to that is five minutes ago."

Scott Feschuk has more on the grisly scene. MEANWHILE, BACK ON PLANET EARTH: Canadian Press reports:

Paul Martin was talking up local Liberal candidates and denigrating Conservative Leader Stephen Harper again Sunday as his campaign fought what increasingly looks like a rearguard action to save its core.
Martin began the day with a $350-million pitch to fund municipal sports facilities, but the early-morning announcement at city hall in nearby Laval was bereft of any of the last-week campaign hoopla a sitting prime minister might expect.
There was no public crowd at the event, and a small clutch of people, mostly local mayors, did not applaud.
From this sombre affair, Martin moved to a community centre in the riding of Heritage Minister Liza Frulla.
Martin successfully sank a basket for the cameras in the tiny gymnasium, but that was the high point for campaign optics.
Perhaps 50 supporters, filling a third of the gym, milled about as Martin expounded on Frulla's hard work in cabinet.
It was a familiar speech - insert the name of any Montreal-area cabinet minister here - and followed the same routine as Martin hit eight ridings over two days in what should be safe Liberal territory...
With polls putting Liberal support in Quebec as low as 15 per cent, Martin is now fighting to avoid the ignominy of winning the fewest ever Liberal seats in the province: the low-water mark of 13 set in 1882.

Well, that's Quebec. Who needs Quebec? We've still got Ontario! Greg Weston catches the excitement as Team Martin charges for the finish line:

It is a sure sign that Paul Martin and his Liberal campaign have at least three wheels in the ditch when Grit candidates start to delete both the leader and the party from their election advertising. As the latest polls show the Grits trailing the Tories by about 10 points and going nowhere fast, we are receiving reports of Liberal candidates in Ontario sporting lawn signs with nothing much but their names, the standard "Paul Martin Liberals" nowhere to be seen.

Lawn signs, and websites. (UPDATE: Whoops. Here it is: votebelinda.ca. There's even a picture of Martin, if you look hard enough. And an endorsement from Buzz Hargrove!)