What is irking the prime minister these days? It looks like he’s back in confrontation mode, one of his deep-blue funks.

How about his plan to distribute $3 billion in stimulus funds from behind closed doors? Either accept it, he tells opposition leaders, or we’ll have another election. The ultimatum came at the same time his information commissioner, Robert Marleau, released a report denouncing the government’s habitual secrecy. Well, Marleau, the PM so much as said, you can get stuffed, too, just like the opposition.

We have the news also that Harper’s war-room staff are reviewing hours of tape of Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff to find material for some cheap attack ads. In a show of civility, the PM had refrained from doing this. But now he’s going back into the gutter. Attack ads never used to be used between election campaigns in Canada.  Harper started the practise against Stéphane Dion, and now Iggy had better beware. This prime minister will go as low as it takes.

On the foreign front, the Conservatives have suddenly turned cold warriors. They tried to get a great ruckus going with Moscow, announcing that Russian planes got close to Canadian air space near the time of Barack Obama’s visit. The Russians do these fly-bys as a matter of routine. The story was one of the great yawners of the winter. But the PM likely figured some suckers in the media would take it seriously and portray him as a tough guy standing up for Canadian sovereignty against the evil Reds.

Then he took on Iran using vile words to denounce the regime. It was a little late — about two years behind everyone else — to get in on this story. But with the big liberal winds rushing across the continent, Harper needs to shore up his right-wing base. Russia and Iran will do, along with more deification of Israel thrown in for good measure.

Things are uppity in Ottawa. The PM’s office is reportedly beside itself over reports that the Governor-General received an invitation to visit Barack Obama in Washington while the prime minister did not.

Unnamed sources — we can guess from where — are saying that no, she didn’t. The Gov. Gen.’s office is saying that yes, she did.

Harper took a lot of hits over the winter and now clearly wants to show he is back in command. But when he gets in these kinds of zones, things can get ugly. He wasn’t exactly cut out for minority governments and he’s starting to run this one like he did the last. Like he won a landslide.