My, my, my … aren’t we tough?

From the party of “civil discourse for me but not for thee” we have the following interesting tidbit from yesterday’s Globe and Mail.

A member of the Conservative national council is urging party members to attend a speech that Michael Ignatieff will give in Alberta on Friday so they can pepper the deputy Liberal leader with "skeptical" questions.

Mr. Ignatieff, who lived in the United States for five years and was a director of a human-rights policy centre at Harvard University, was invited to speak by the Institute for United States Policy Studies at the University of Alberta.

In an e-mail sent to the presidents of 14 Conservative riding associations in Alberta, Vitor (Victor) Marciano says the lecture was arranged by Anne McLellan, the former deputy leader of the Liberals who is now a distinguished scholar in residence at the same institute.

"We need a skeptical, questioning audience for this hypocrite - especially after his recent performance in Afghanistan," wrote Mr. Marciano, referring to the trip Mr. Ignatieff took this month to the war-wracked country with Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion.

“Hypocrite”? That’s a pretty big word, Victor, I’m sure you’re willing to back that up.

Mr. Marciano, who did not return phone calls yesterday, is also the national policy director for the Conservatives and was campaign chair for Laurie Hawn, the MP who ousted Ms. McLellan from her Edmonton Centre seat in the last federal election.

Or maybe not so much. But don’t worry kids, Ryan Sparrow’s on the job.

Ryan Sparrow, a spokesman for the Conservative Party, said there is nothing untoward about a member urging other Conservatives to ask hard questions of Liberals.

"Canadians should be questioning Mr. Ignatieff's and Stéphane Dion's constant flip-flopping on key issues such as Afghanistan," he said.

Really? Well then, I suppose there’s nothing untoward about the Canadian press asking hard questions of Big Daddy and his government. Wait a minute ... never mind.

Don't get me wrong here - I think Ignatieff is more than capable of handling a few hecklers. But just imagine the screaming from the Right if a Liberal operative did this to Big Daddy or one of his mouthpieces. And, once again, this is why we mock them.