How convenient, Ralph

Call me cynical if you wish, but I can't help but wonder if Ralph Klein's mother being ill hasn't something to do with the furore over his recent statements about AISH.

Yesterday, he made a somewhat half-baked apology (to be honest, I'm not even sure it got to "half baked"); and today his mother is suddenly so seriously ill that he has to take a "leave" from campaigning. Okay, it's quite possible that his mother is very ill - sickness, especially in old age, doesn't respect deadlines, campaign schedules or much else.

But given the kerfuffle over Ralph's latest attack of 'foot-in-mouth' disease (I wonder sometimes if it is the human equivalent of 'Hoof and Mouth' disease?), the "indefinite" withdrawal from the campaign seems like it might just be a convenient way for the PC's to keep Ralph from bungling anything else on the campaign trail.

Given how loose Ralph's tongue seems to be, one has to wonder if he's lost more than just his "moral compass". (Marbles, common sense, brains - whatever)

Personally, I find the half-baked apology a continuation of the stupidity that brought Ralph to say what he did in the first place. He's lost touch with more than just common sense - he seems to have also lost contact with the people that he's supposed to govern. He doesn't seem to know when he's made such a monumental error that admitting it would look better than these 'pseudo apologies'.

Ralph, you insulted a lot more than just the people who are on AISH. You insulted the intelligence and integrity of every Albertan that ever uses a government program. At this point, I'm not sure I'd be overly impressed by even the most abject of apologies.

I hope that others in this province are looking carefully at what you've said and done over the last decade. There's a pattern emerging, and it's not exactly flattering or pretty.