Boot on the other foot department

Imagine, just for a moment, the unlikely event of an American or British university using "Steve" Harper, everyone's favourite ice-sculpture PM, as a target of mockery. Okay, first get past the idea that anyone in the entire outside world knows or cares who the current Canadian prime minister is . . .

I still think that Lakehead University's current ad campaign mocking George Bush is a dumb move. But some dumb moves work better than your brightest moves: who'd ever heard of Lakehead before this ad campaign?

Gilbert said Lakehead plans to ride out the public relations storm without removing the posters or taking down the Web site.

"You don't undo the damage that has been done, if there's damage, by simply retracting," he said, adding the school will try to respond individually to people who expressed concerns.