Sandra Buckler is back in the public eye. Buckler retired as the prime minister's director of communications in midsummer and has kept a pretty low profile ever since. But today she's back in the thick of things as part of the "spinner" team for the Conservatives. Buckler was a panelist on CTV Newsnet. She was appearing from Ottawa next to former Liberal cabinet minister Brian Tobin.

Buckler got her job as the top communications advisor to the prime minister shortly Stephen Harper took office back in 2006. Many in Ottawa believe she was tapped for that position because of her effectiveness as a spinner in the 2005-06 campaign. Buckler's style during that campaign was to refuse to rise to the bait -- often offered up rather aggressively by Liberal Susan Murray -and maintain a pleasant demeanour while focusing like a laser beam on the day's message.

Even former prime minister Brian Mulroney noticed how effective she was. Mulroney, who spent most of the winter campaign at his home in Florida, phoned up the Conservative war room in mid-campaign to personally congratulate Buckler on the job she was doing. For Buckler, who was a big fan of Mulroney, it was one of her personal highlights of the campaign.

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