Morning memo: Re-elect John Howard! Two-and-a-half more years!

BEST PHOTO:

POLL OF THE DAY:

Given the ongoing financial meltdown in the U.S., the economy promises to be one of the most hotly-contested issues in the upcoming debates. According to the latest Strategic Counsel poll, Stephen Harper’s Conservatives are Canadas’ preferred money-managers, with the other parties trailling far, far behind on economic matters. Here’s how they fared when Canadians were asked which party was best suited to guide Canada through the downturn:

Conservatives: 41%

Liberals: 23%

NDP: 8%

Greens: 2%

Bloc Québécois: 1%

BEST QUOTES:

Conservative spokesperson Kory Teneycke, on Stephen Harper’s apparent affinity for Autralian PM John Howard’s speech on Iraq: “I’m not going to get into a debate about a five-year-old speech that was delivered three Parliaments ago, two elections ago, when the prime minister was the leader of a party that no longer exists.”

Stéphane Dion, on Stephen Harper’s apparent affinity for Australian PM John Howard’s speech on Iraq: “[Harper] doesn’t have the ethics to choose his own words. We have a prime minister who commits plagiarism.”

Gilles Duceppe, on Jean Charest’s list of demands from Ottawa, including a limit on the federal government’s spending powers, the abandonment of Senate reform, and the maintaining of the gun registry: “These are consensus views in Quebec. It’s not just Mr. Charest who thinks so. Mrs. Marois, Mr. Dumont, agree with many of the demands.”

GAFFE OF THE DAY:

Didn’t we discuss the similarities between Stephen Harper’s turns of phrases and those of other party leaders just yesterday? In the grand scheme of things, it’s perhaps a minor issue that Harper cribbed his 2003 speech on Iraq from his good friend John Howard in Australia. But the timing of the Liberals’ charge — coming on a day when party leaders were mostly away from the campaign trail to prepare for the debates —  certainly amplified its impact.

WHERE THEY’RE AT TODAY:

The party leaders are hunkered down preparing for the upcoming debates in Ottawa.