Check out MG's post over at Laudator on the Distance Between Ruler and Ruled .... on MG's comments that follow, one thing that I notice is a major difference between politics in the US and those north of the border is that our politicians seem to go on a 'barbecue/fair circuit' in the summer, primarily so they do appear to be a '(wo)man of the people'. Then again, with our system, power is concentrated so much in the hands of a few folks at the top (i.e. the PMO), that they have to do these barbecues to represent Ottawa to us ...