Is Preston after the throne?

C B C . C A N e w s - F u l l S t o r y : Manning eyes premiership after Klein hints he may leave early Last Updated Sat, 01 Apr 2006 23:27:16 EST CBC News Leadership hopefuls, including surprise candidate Preston Manning, set their sights on the Alberta premier's office on Saturday, just a day after Ralph Klein hinted he may retire earlier than expected. Klein told delegates to the Conservative party's annual convention in Calgary that he was mulling his political future after delegates gave him just 55 per cent support in a leadership review. Former Reform leader Preston Manning says he would run for the premiership, if invited. Klein originally said he would remain at his job for another two years. Now, the premier says he will take a few days to consider what's best "for the party, the province and for me." That was enough of a hint to open the gates to a host of leadership hopefuls, including the biggest surprise, Manning, former leader of the defunct Reform party. Manning shocked many delegates Saturday by expressing interest in Klein's job. Manning, the son of Social Credit Premier Ernest Manning, said he would need to be persuaded that entering a Tory leadership race would be best for the party, the province and his family, as broad a hint that he would enter the race, if invited, of course. Manning move surprises other premier candidates Manning's intentions startled declared leadership hopefuls, including former Alberta treasurer Jim Dinning and Ted Morton, B.C. member of the legislature for Foothills-Rocky View, who have spent years with the Reform and Alliance movements. Morton said he suspects Manning's interest is not that serious, noting he would have to give up the lifestyle of an academic for the "griminess of trench warfare" in politics. Another hopeful in the leadership race, former cabinet minister Lyle Oberg, has openly questioned Klein's plans to stay in the job. But Oberg told CBC News that the vote results have nothing to do with a political showdown. "This is purely about the length of the leadership race and I think people saw that in the question, that it was the length of the leadership race, and they've decided that two years would not be good for the party and would not be good for the province, and I agree with that." The results of the delegate vote took the party, and Klein, by surprise. "I didn't get the result that I had anticipated, but I am going to meet with my staff and my caucus, of course, and members of the party, and determine what I am going to do," Klein told reporters on Saturday. "I will have something concrete for you next week, mid-week." Klein was "shocked ... and a little hurt" at hearing the results, said his spokeswoman, Marisa Etmanski. However, the premier said he still considers it a vote of confidence. Ralph Klein addresses the Alberta Progressive Conservative convention in Calgary on Friday. (Canadian Press) "I'm grateful for that," he added. Klein has led Alberta's Tories to four majority governments in the past 13 years and has received approval ratings as high as 97 per cent. Klein seeks support for keeping his post During his speech Friday night to delegates at the party's annual convention in Calgary, Klein seemed to plead for his political future, asking the party faithful to let him retain his job for another two years. "I ask you to give me, one final time, your endorsement to achieve what I have laid out for the duration of this mandate," Klein said. "If you see fit to give me that support, I pledge to you that I will work as hard as I possibly can to bring continued honour to this party and continued prosperity to this province we love." Ty Lund, the government services minister, said Klein deserves to be supported because he has eliminated Alberta's debt and has built the province into an economic powerhouse. Copyright ©2006 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - All Rights Reserved