Is Williams on a Cross Canada "Good Will Mission"?

The Hill Times is reporting that the national press gallery will be holding their annual dinner this Saturday evening. It should prove to be an intersting time.

Stephane Dion and Jack Layton will be there for the event but as of last report Stephen Harper was not planning to attend and apparently has "encouraged" his cabinet ministers and back benchers to avoid the dinner as well.

Could it be that Mr. Harper is a still afraid of the national media or could his abscence be attributed to avoiding one high profile guest we all know very well, Danny Williams?

It seems Williams has been busy getting his name and face out there in an all out effort to become a household name across Canada. First he appeard on two of Canada's most popular humorous programs, This Hour has 22 Minutes and the Rick Mercer Report, now he plans to rub elbows with reporters and editors from all of Canada's major news services.

According to the report in the Hill Times,

"...the Premier–maybe that should be Emperor?–of Newfoundland and Labrador, Danny Williams (will attend). The evening promises to be anything but dull. Meanwhile, I am told that despite reports that Cabinet ministers and Conservative backbenchers have been "encouraged" by the PMO not to attend, several will be there. So it just might turn out to be a very interesting evening after all."

Indeed it should and who knows, with the Premier planning to go head to head with Stephen Harper during the next federal election, building up a friendly and ougoing image across Canada might be very helpful. Especially since polls show most Canadians still don't trust the PM and find him "Cold", "Distant", "Calculating" and any number of other adjectives anyone might want to heap on the pile.