Iggy's Dean Scream

The Tories' latest attack ads skewer Michael Ignatieff for committing the crime of passion.

The pundits issue a collective “tut-tut” at the latest Conservative attack ads today. Two new 15-second spots ask the questions “Does it make sense to jeopardize our recovery with a needless election?” and “Does it make sense to raise taxes on job creators?” followed by a clip of Michael Ignatieff shouting “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

“Clearly, the Conservatives are … trying to show Ignatieff as looking slightly unhinged and overly aggressive. A sort-of Howard Dean moment” writes the Vancouver Sun’s Barbara Yaffe, referring to the infamous clip that brought Dean’s hopes of winning the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 to a crashing halt. The ads “say far more about Conservatives than they do about the Grits. In fact, the ads say nothing about Ignatieff because the video used is taken entirely out of context; it's totally dishonest.”

The ads “go over the line,” writes the National Post’s Tasha Kheiriddin. “Do the Tories really believe they can fool voters into thinking Michael Ignatieff would enthusiastically cheer for an ‘unnecessary election’ or ‘raise taxes on job creators?’” And in what could very possibly be the first instance of a pundit admitting to being turned on by Michael Ignatieff, or an election, or both, Kheiriddin goes on to say, “What’s next? Ads with Mr. Ignatieff yelling ‘yes yes yes’ in a diner, a la Harry Met Sally, to convey his enthusiasm for other, er, positions? (That could really backfire: I’ll have what he’s having, even if it is unnecessary.)”

Post blogger Jeff Jedras clearly has some time on his hands, as he’s whipped up an attack ad he suggests the Liberals run in response. High marks to Jedras for finding an audio clip of Harper saying “We need to raise taxes.” You would’ve thought Harper would have had CSIS destroy every trace of that sound bite years ago.

In case you’re wondering what Ignatieff was really screaming about, the clip the Conservatives stole was part of a speech he made in Ottawa Tuesday. And for a guy who the Tories recently tried to paint as unpatriotic, he seems pretty fired up about Canada.