Canada Shifts Right (But Those Photos? Sheer (Ahem) "Coincidence")

Remember when blue staters, distraught at the results of the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, swore they'd move to a free-thinking, more liberal Canada? Not any more, not since Conservative Stephen Harper (today's third most-cited person by bloggers) ousted Liberal Paul Martin in Canada's parliamentary elections this week.

The web site for Canadian election results is today's No. 17 top link). and the CBC's Canada Votes 2006 site comes in at No. 37. Blogger Brian Maloney at RadioEqualizer looks at the impact of Canadian bloggers and talk radio on the election and the electorate. Watersblogged wonders if a U.S. network would use Shakespearean metaphors (as the CBC did) to cover an election? And a LiveJournaler compares the results to "a live grenade" down Paul Martin's pants.

U.S. conservative blogger Michelle Malkin gives sole credit for the Liberal meltdown to Minnesota-based Captain's Quarters Blog, while Captain's Quarters predicts "Canada is about to erupt." Time will tell....

But wait! A curious blogosphere juxtaposition is today's 12th-most-cited news story from the Christian Science Monitor, "Triumph of the redistributionist left," about emerging victories by American liberals on issues of federal spending, foreign policy and fiscal responsibility. Really? Says the unabrewer blogger: "The right is no longer on the right."

Bush posing with Abramaoff: the enigmatic photos
South of the Canadian border, U.S. Republicans can't seem to run away from former lobbyist Jack Abramoff fast enough, and the President is looking for distance, too. Bush originally said he really didn't know the guy, but now that photos of the two together are emerging (today's fourth-most-cited news story), White House officials are blaming it on "coincidence" (No. 22 top link) and routine get-togethers at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (as if just anyone gets invited to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for parties).

Attack of the...octopus?
Glow-in-the-dark pigs have been replaced this week by a giant squid that attacked a submarine...the topic of today's seventh-most-cited news story.

Passings...
Today's burstiest person is popular Manila DJ Ernie Baron, who died this week.