It seems appropriate to use a hockey metaphor to describe the final strokes on the Canadian federal election.

The final polls have the Conservatives winning 140 seats--enough for a strong minority government. The Bloc Quebecois and the New Democrats are also poised to increase their representation in parliament at the expense of the Liberals, who are expected to win about 75 seats.

If this turns out as predicted, that's a pretty strong showing for a disgraced party and indicates how thoroughly the Liberals have leavened Canadian culture. That is the political strength of socialism--it wrecks your country, but its wonderful for the party. So many people are dependent on the government for their daily bread, so to speak, that even the merest superficial change (the conservatives are somewhat left of Ted Kennedy...) throws them into a panic. If this is the best that the Conservatives can do with literally everything in their favor, this is going to prove to be merely an interregnum between Liberal governments.