Manning Up

It's all over but the shouting in the race to succeed Ralph Klein as Alberta Tory leader and premier.

Once Preston Manning formally announces his candidacy, the size of his machine and the support behind it will almost certainly guarantee his coronation.

The biggest loser in all of this will be Jim Dinning, the eternal crown prince in exile, the crown snatched from his hands just as it was finally within his reach.

But weep not for Dinning; he still has the chairmanship of Western Financial Group and 15 directorships to fall back on.

Manning's sidelining of Dinning may yet have its parallel in the federal Liberal leadership race: already the cry has been raised to draft Frank McKenna to prevent the eventual frontrunner from tilting the ship too far to port.