Paul Wells: In this environment, expect confusion and cue-taking. Harper will continue to contradict himself while letting the rest of the world decide his next steps. That last bit should come as a relief... Given a choice, Harper will avoid spending on things that work or last, because we might conclude that's what government is for... In every case he will wait for Canada's neighbours, especially the Americans, to move first. He has been rattled by recent events... The country that Harper has always viewed as a model rejected cronyism for meritocracy. It's the kind of thing that shakes a guy's faith in himself.Adam Radwanski: It takes a special kind of immaturity to look at an economic crisis -- one that has people worried about their jobs and their homes and their life savings -- and consider only how it might be turned to your advantage. But then, for all his ideological roots, Harper has demonstrated time and again that nothing interests him so much as cementing his hold on power... This is a leader who very clearly sees politics as a game, and who sees government -- rather than what you do with it -- as the ultimate victory.
