How's this for a journalist?

We earlier blogged about a new vision for Canada from Preston Manning and Mike Harris. Here's a column from today's Toronto Star, where the reporter makes an incredible admission.

Preston Manning dropped by the Star this week to flog a new political manifesto that he and Mike Harris just wrote. I decided to skip the meeting and read the pamphlet instead. Subtitled A Fresh Vision, it is anything but.

Nice, that he's read the report, but to 'decide' to skip the meeting is nothing more than arrogance, no? He then goes on to trash both of them:

It's hard to imagine that Harris had much to do with this 69-page manual, particularly since some of its prescriptions — such as those advocating decentralization of power— are directly at odds with what he did as premier.

My guess is that his name was added to give the booklet credibility among those who might find Manning alone a little too piquant.

In fact, the pamphlet is classic Preston Manning, with funding and research — much of it dubious — provided by British Columbia's right-of-centre Fraser Institute.

I have no problem with a journalist taking exception to this plan. But, why skip out on an opportunity to question Manning and Harris? It all sounds like dereliction of duty.