Political Genius: Laureen Harper

By now, it's unlikely there's anybody who hasn't seen the PM's performance of "With a Little Help from My Friends" at a weekend National Arts Centre gala.  For those living in caves, it's kindly provided below.

Conservartive strategists are over the moon today. With a single event, Stephen Harper probably boosted his chances of a majority by a million-fold. Harper even had the right Ringo Starr Liverpudlian inflection, a sure sign he learned the song as a youth while studying piano. His peformance is being described by Conservatives today as one of the smartest political moves in recent Canadian history, a slight exaggeration perhaps.

Who knew? Good question. Who would have known the PM does the Beatles so well? Who might have suggested the performance? Who supports the arts in Ottawa?

Why, Laureen Harper. At least that's my guess for instigator of the PM's surprise hit - and with Yo-Yo Ma. Whoever else weighs in, the smartest politicians always listen to their spouses.

And, just as I'm about to post this, I check and find Reuters has already come to this conclusion: It was Mrs. PM.