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This past Tuesday Ottawa journalists received a strange, almost out-of-context e-mail from Fred DeLorey, Director of Communications for the Conservative Party of Canada.

With no background narrative, DeLorey launched straight in with his message:

"In regards to the calls last week that went into Saskatchewan concerning redistribution, the calls came from the Conservative Party."

He then added a carefully worded explanation, which was, almost deliberately, vague:

"There was an internal miscommunication on the matter, and the calls should have been identified as coming from the Conservative Party."

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On October 9, 2008, five days before the federal election of that year, Kevin Page, the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), issued a report entitled "The Fiscal Impact of the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan."

Last week, Huffington Post's Althia Raj, pinch-hitting for Andrew Coyne on CBC's The National's "At Issue" panel, said the timing of that Afghanistan report was a political mistake on the part of Page.

Raj also said Page, throughout his term, has acted too much as a "watchdog" on government fiscal policy -- something the 2006 legislation that created the Budget Office did not envision.

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Four years ago Barack Obama gave a sombre first speech as newly elected President of the United States. He started by saying “we are in the midst of a crisis,” and talked about a decade of war and a badly weakened economy. To the extent that he elaborated any sort of political philosophy it was one of carefully calculated moderation.

Those who were expecting soaring rhetoric were disappointed in 2009. Obama’s tone was cool, cautious and pragmatic.

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The 1950 Japanese film Rashomon tells the story of a crime as related by four witnesses, who have four very different accounts.

The truth of the matter lies somewhere in the conflicting versions; but we're not too sure where.

Talking to folks, here in Ottawa, about the current state of Aboriginal Canada is a very Rashomon-like experience.

Ethnic rights? Lack of accountability and transparency? Big salaries for chiefs?