— Musings —11.16.2010 05:11 AM
In today’s Sun: a rash of political whiplash
It’s also bizarre. There is nothing that Stephen Harper loves more than lobbing policy hand grenades at the Liberal caucus, and watching them dance. On gun control, on abortion, on almost any issue, Grit disunity makes Harper happier than a flea at a dog show.
So why, then, is he now giving the Grits a break?
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Contrary to Liberal dogma, Harper is just a soft and cuddly pussy cat.
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..who wears plush sweaters at every opportunity.
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Like all pussy cats, he sometimes needs to sharpen his claws. He often likes to sharpen them on rat packs. Otherwise, he will play the piano and purr a lot.
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Warren,
Too bad for this Prime Minister when his own claws turn on him and maul him badly. Stay tuned! He knows this is the wrong decision — and yet he persists to his eventual detriment. As Desmond would say: “You won’t see me crying.”
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Because polling reveals even many Reformers want us out of Afghanistan.
Because polling reveals it does not solidify their base.
Because polling reveals that it is an issue that they are on the wrong side, and that enough people feel strongly enough about it that it could become a ballot-determining issue.
Of course WK you know that. And you know why Ignatieff, Rae, and The Dauphin are onside, when they shouldn’t be. Unfortunately, I expected more from Rae and The Dauphin.
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I don’t know why if you wouldn’t mind sharing
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So all of this just got a nasty torpedo yesterday as Hamid Karzai, elected President of Afghanistan, called for troop withdrawals. The response from NATO & USA was a firestorm of denial.
Seems the real reason we are there is otherwise than the public statements??
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Left this out, sorry all.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/15/us-defends-afghanistan-tactics-after-karzai-call
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The West (military) is never leaving Afghanistan or the immediate region, [b]ever[/b]. Seems obvious given the resources expended and the potential material resources that are still yet to be extracted.
Might as well get used to it, seriously.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html
“The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government officials.”
“An internal Pentagon memo, for example, states that Afghanistan could become the “Saudi Arabia of lithium,” a key raw material in the manufacture of batteries….”
“The vast scale of Afghanistan’s mineral wealth was discovered by a small team of Pentagon officials and American geologists.”
There is no way we are walking away from it.
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Amazing, in the middle of a war zone, they’re able to do mineral sampling.
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Jan,
Quite obviously, they haven’t got around to brain sampling…
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Or fired up the b.s. detector.
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Nobody is talking about extending the combat mission. There are dozens of countries there who have soldiers in non-combat roles, and we will do the same. The only one talking about a vote on extending Canada’s combat mission is Kinsella.
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Right. And that Rick Hiller guy, too, I guess: http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/299789
Have a nice day, Beaudoin.
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Count me as the third!
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Yes, Gen. Rick Hillier contradicts that: and altho’ that TO. Star quote was re: staying in Kanadahar in partic., he also, um, generalized that to the country as a whole in the Maclean’s interview, that pretty much any military role entails combat in that war-torn region:
“You can come up with all kinds of schemes to hide away in a camp and train people for the Afghan army or police, but they lack credibility. If you try to help train and develop the Afghan army or police in southern Afghanistan, you are going to be in combat.” http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/10/23/gen-rick-hillier-on-his-biggest-strategic-error-the-talibans-comeback-and-whether-canada-should-stay-in-afghanistan-past-2011/
And the journalist Brian Stewart addressed it in more concrete terms here yesterday, having actually _been_ in some of those training camps, there, and notes that not only is everyone armed to the teeth there & subject to rocket & mortar fire, but some US & UK trainers have even been killed by their actual students, who were inflitrating Taliban supporters.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/11/12/f-vp-stewart.html
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Afghanistan was a democracy for many years under the rule of Mohammed Zahir Shah:
“Zahir Shah was able to govern on his own in 1963 and despite the factionalism and political infighting a new constitution was introduced in 1964 which turned Afghanistan into a modern democratic state by introducing free elections, a parliament, civil rights, liberation for women and universal suffrage.” (Wikipedia).
Zahir Shah accomplished all his without the “help” from foreign troops! He was willing to turn things to the better as a politician in 2002 upon his return to Afghanistan, but guess what happened:
“”In April 2002, while the country was under NATO occupation, Zahir Shah returned to Afghanistan to open the Loya Jirga, which met in June 2002. After the fall of the Taliban, there were open calls for a return to the monarchy. Zahir Shah himself let it be known that he would accept whatever responsibility was placed on him by the Loya Jirga. However he was obliged to publicly step aside at the behest of the United States as many of delegates to the Loya Jirga were prepared to vote for Zahir Shah and block the US-backed Hamid Karzai.” (Wikipedia)
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Sadly Allegra folks prefer to ignore the truth and history. The media demonstrates this every day.
Speaking of which – Am I the only one who thinks CTV’s Power Play is getting more excrutiatingly painful weekly? I mean Mr. Bland (Clark) was bad, but this is awful. And don’t even get me started on Solomon. Where have all the giants gone?
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Afghanistan is the best live-fire exercise for our combat troops in the world. People who join the combat arms of the CF do so willingly. What use is an army if they don’t have experience?
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If you’re the opposition you should, at least once in a while, oppose something. None of this faux stuff. No doubt, Iggy is a smart guy but I think he lacks the tactical and strategic skills to be a great politician. Rae? He’s bidding his time until his old school chum departs so he can take the helm. Jesus Murphy, would someone please give a party worth my vote?
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“So why, then, is he now giving the Grits a break?”
Why the surprise.
There’s no surprise, while no Canadian wants to see another convoy carrying a deceased member of the Canadian Forces coming down the Highway of Heroes, everyone wants to see Canada at the high table.
Barely a month ago, Canadians wagged their disapproving fingers at Harper a month ago for losing a seat at the UN Security Council.
Sitting at the high table comes at a cost that means when one of the most significant military powers in the world (who shares a common border, has mutual continental security issues and so happens to be our largest trading partner to the south) suggests that we should be in Afghanistan because it sends the proper message to Al Qaeda.
We listen in order to sit at the high table.
Mr. Harper has been reading the cards correctly on this one.
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More like Canada’s has been sitting in the highchair. Thank your Harper for that one bud.
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Just to clarify, he’s not “my” Harper.
The facts speak for themselves. Mr. Harper is a “minority” leader, he’s the Prime Minister because he receives his support from the Liberals.
Harper knew Ignatieff wouldn’t step in to prevent the extension of the mission.
Fact is Mr. Ignatieff was saying just a year ago that Harper’s time was up:
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
“You?ve failed to protect the most vulnerable, you?ve failed to create jobs, you?ve failed to defend our health care, you?ve failed to restore our public finances,” Ignatieff said.
“We cannot support this government any further. After four years of drift, four years of denial, four years of division, four years of discord, Mr. Harper, your time is up.”
A Liberal government, Ignatieff pledged, would return “competence and compassion” to the federal government to replace an “incompetent” Harper government that “doesn’t care.”
“The secret weapon on our side is Stephen Harper’s record,” he said. “We can do better.”
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/09/01/ignatieff-liberals090109.html#ixzz15UuHwKe0
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bob rae was sickening on as it happens tonight