Will the next Prime Minister please stand up...

The familiar smell is in the air. With a room full of Liberals that old scent of power-lust lingers throughout.

The usual suspects lined up and tossed their words out into the waiting audience while holding hands out waiting for the audience to reciprocate in currency. The Liberals have 10 candidates now but how many are really that close to 24 Sussex?

My take on the situation is this, the race will be Michael Ignatieff's to lose. I predicted that about a year ago when he made his first speech at the Liberal convention. Immediately afterwards he was referred to as the next Pierre Elliot Trudeau.

His lead in the race is not one to assume and expect however. Others such as Kennedy, and Rae have their work cut out for them, but if they work hard they have a good chance as well.

The only sure bet in the situation is that as the race tightens and the hopefuls dwindle, it will get ugly, 600-pound gorilla ugly. As the ballots come back and opponents drop out to throw support behind the next person the broad and focused attacks on Harper will die off. The guns will be directed focused on the person sitting next to them no doubt, right Mr. Brison?