Blood in the water - the Premiers turn on Harper

Dalton Mcguinty claims that Radiation levels in Lake Ontario, which are three times higher than in lakes NOT surrounded by ten nuclear power plants, pose no health threat.

A Greenpeace report released last week found levels of tritium in Lake Ontario, which is flanked by 10 nuclear reactors, were three times higher than levels in Lake Superior, which has no reactors.

The report also criticized Canada for having regulations for tritium concentrations 10 times less strict than the U.S. and 70 times less strict than Europe.

McGuinty said he was confident the federal government would take charge if anything was wrong.

Step two, we've set the groundwork by putting the responsibility on the feds, now for the quick turnaround previously prepared...

"Sometimes I'm a little bit concerned that the Great Lakes have slid to the back of environmental concerns," McGuinty said in an interview earlier this week.

"It's really important that we keep the Great Lakes water quality on the national agenda."

McGuinty called on Ottawa to spearhead a meeting of Canadian and American federal, provincial and state officials, which he said would go a long way toward better protecting a resource that's being taken for granted.

"What I'd love the federal government to do is take on the whole idea of a national clean water summit," he said.

"It is a tremendous resource, it is something that people around the world recognize as being a kind of crown jewel of the North American ecosystem and we have to continue to work together to protect it."

You have to kind of admire blame in-fielding like that. Are there any Provincial Premiers east of Alberta who aren't in all but open revolt against the federal government at this point?

This says that Harper's autocratic style can't hide incompetent pandering from the leaders being shafted by it. It also says they think he's a safe target. These are political ninjas under their friendly smiles, remember. Rising to the top of party and provincial parliamentary politics requires the instincts of a hungry wolverine.

And the same ability to sniff out changes in the wind.

A Liberal minority then - a fragile one in 2008. Hopefully this time they don't make Martin's mistake, and Joe Clark's before him - and now Harper, of thinking a minority can govern with no friends.