Politics: Canada: Cheri Au calls Elizabeth May (Greens) 'gutsy,' but Jane Taber asks May, 'Are you crazy?'

Mainsonneuve the email newsletter that often annoys me, carries an item by Ceri Au, about Elizabeth May's notorious move, "May bets the House as Harper counts his chips" (Mar19,2k7).

...On the federal political stage, both the biggest player in the game, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and the newest kid on the block, Green Party leader Elizabeth May, are constantly flexing their strategic political muscles, ensuring they are ready to take their parties to the next level. ...[Conservative] election preparedness is a smoke-and-mirrors action plan to stall the drop of the writ until polling numbers can [better] predict a Harper majority with more certainty.

On the flip side of cautious calculation is the gutsy decision by Green Party leader Elizabeth May to challenge Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay in the Tory stronghold riding of Central Nova. “Are you crazy?” Jane Taber inquired, after May acknowledged yesterday on CTV’s lunch time political program Question Period her intentions to run against the cabinet minister. Dismissing lunacy as a driving force behind her decision, May let out a hearty chuckle and insisted she looks forward to the immense challenge ahead. “I think that Peter MacKay is, no question, a popular local constituency MP. He’s a very nice guy. I’m fond of him but he represents Harper government policies.” Nonetheless, for many political observers, challenging MacKay is not seemingly the quickest path to Parliament, especially for the leader of a party still hungry for their first seat in the Commons. Yet, as David Akin on CTV News reported, for Green party members who have seen their political stock rise in recent years (4.5 percent of the vote in 2006), there is only one credo of worth: “In Elizabeth we trust.” May recognizes the uphill battle she faces in what promises to be one of the most-watched races in the country in the next election...."