TAPEHEAD...

Pretend that Stephen Harper is the opposite of what you know:
He's wickedly sharp, a shrewd, clever man who turns a weakness into a strength and a strength into a weakness. This week's 'leak' of a speech to the faithful in the Soo was a clever planting of a disruptive seed. Harper knows that once a plot is put out into the public, it can sometimes go sideways.
This time, he has two results that would fit his purposes.
A) the opening salvo of wanting a majority, the stating of the obvious, is meant to hit the voting populace like a placebo, creating a few moments of gasps and shock but like his first-day declaration on the 2006 campaign, that he'd bring same-sex marriage back to parliament for a vote if elected, it was orchestrated pre-writ to dull the fears of many fence sitters.
And B), it also shifted the focus onto his manchurian candidate, the bogus coalition argument. Never mind the fact that he had a coalition plan of his own against the Martin government, with the same boogiemen. By putting forward the trojan horse scenario, it mobilizes his own team and also a portion of the ill-informed and ignorant. It also creates a divisive anger -- if you remember last election, there were incidents of more than sign stomping; some criminal-minded (supporters of one particular party, no doubt) folks were out cutting brake lines and vandalizing houses. Democracy is no longer a game of fair play, now its warfare under this Stalin wannabe. When Harper uses inflamed language, calling any government that isn't led by his 'a coalition of socialists and separatists', its meant to raise more than just the temperature of debate... So much for Canada's reputation as a sane, gentle democracy.

On the other hand, if Harper is actually the overstuffed, overrated narcissist as he appears, this 'leak', whether authentic or planted, will turn out like his 'anti-arts' spiel or 'I'm looking for a majority' rant of 2004. It will mobilize people who are tired of mean-spirited, dishonest and uncaring leadership, who will be looking for an honest broker, a positive reason to vote and force the CON team to rethink its focus on salting the Canadian political landscape.
Although the CONs' currently are in the drivers' seat in most polls, so was Paul Martin in 2004 and 2006. In the last two election campaigns, key turning points Harper benefited from came via a co-conspirator -- the RCMP's bogus 'investigation' of an income trust leak, and the 2008 Steve Murphy-Mike Duffy tag team, off-the-record mugging of Stephane Dion.
I believe in a Canada that sets standards that the world can reach, not stoop to. I believe in a Canada that takes care of the less fortunate, not one that spends a fortune to create less.
Stephen Harper's career on tape will end up costing him his job. It can't come soon enough.