Trial balloons are the stuff of politics. And Stephen Harper's government floated a pretty big one in recent days -- a suggestion that the government is contemplating a 10 per cent budget cut to the CBC.

They flirt outrageously, those two. A funny sort of relationship, in which the public network bends over backward to be fair to the government, including Tory-friendly voices in all of its work. And Mr. Harper's team thanks the CBC through a steady stream of fundraising letters to core Conservative voters, asking for donations to fight back against our public broadcaster and -- possibly -- to do it harm.