You are going to be scrutinized very closely on that score and you need people who aren't going to stumble, especially in the current climate we've got where there's cynicism. People are watching, people are much more attentive to government and cabinet ministers.

You match your demeanor to the job. She had the right demeanor for the morning job, and she could do both light and heavy with ease. ... If Dan Rather had done the morning show, he wouldn't have had the same serious demeanor as he had at night, either.

The Liberals knew the Reform was going to stand up and question them on minute details about spending. So what they would do is put some of their most controversial policies forward, but they would leak something to the Reform Party about a minor spending glitch, someone spending too much in a restaurant. And they knew Question Period would then focus on that small matter and the big matter would get by, and it worked until the Reform caught on.

So now they will probably be getting out the books, looking at a Conservative government coming in and seeing how the department fits with the platform objectives of the incoming party. They would have had briefing books in order and they'll be tailoring them now.

It's always more difficult for a government coming in fresh than for a government returning.

Todd gets the best out of the people around him by expecting the best out of people.