I got your cooperation right here.

And you thought Big Daddy’s fuzzy blue sweater vest was just a prop, boys and girls. For shame.

The Harper government is striking a conciliatory tone as it prepares for the opening of Parliament, emphasizing the need for co-operation on the economy and downplaying the potential for confrontation.

As part of the kinder, gentler tone, Prime Minister Stephen Harper had a "cordial and businesslike" meeting Friday with Liberal Leader Stephane Dion.

Pardon my skepticism but I think the real Big Daddy is the same small, petty man who had no qualms about insinuating that the Liberals’ opposition to the Conservative government's proposed changes to how the judiciary is selected was just an attempt to protect Navdeep Singh Bains. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink — say no more.

Or when he took yet another page out of the Republican dirty tricks playbook, thus confirming once and for all his complete lack of originality, by saying this when the Liberals had the unmitigated gall to question the Afghan detainee issue:

"I can understand the passion that the leader of the Opposition and members of his party feel for Taliban prisoners," Harper said Wednesday during Parliament's question period.

"I just wish occasionally they would show the same passion for Canadian soldiers."

And let’s not forget his nasty little tirade about "rich artists" which included the following not so kinder, gentler gem:

"I think when ordinary working people come home, turn on the TV and see a gala of a bunch of people at, you know, a rich gala all subsidized by taxpayers claiming their subsidies aren't high enough, when they know those subsidies have actually gone up – I'm not sure that's something that resonates with ordinary people."

The only thing missing is a gratuitous reference to "Joe Six-Pack", n'est-ce pas? So what could possibly be the cause of the scales falling from Big Daddy’s eyes, his revelation on the road to Damascus, if you will?

A senior government official says Harper intends to focus almost exclusively on the global economic crisis and measures to help Canada weather the storm. The official suggests Harper isn't eager to immediately push ahead with a series of tough-on-crime proposals, including stiffer sentences for young offenders and reduced use of conditional sentences.

All three opposition parties say they will oppose the measures, even at the risk of defeating the minority Conservative government.

Gotcha, you corpulent, opportunistic, mouthbreathing weasel.