09.03.2014 07:06 AM

We always said David Bertschi was our preferred candidate

What makes you think we didn’t prefer David?

34 Comments

  1. Justin (not that one) says:

    Funny thing – General Leslie testified at a UN War Crimes tribunal that Croatian forces fired indiscriminately when they took back their territory. He had to admit under oath that he received a medal for heroic actions that he had nothing to do with. He was also accused by a junior soldier that he was forced to change his eyewitness reports regarding the shelling. The accused was found innocent on appeal with the tribunal dismissing Leslie’s testimony. Yeah, great candidate!

  2. Matt says:

    Really Andrew?

    Hamas carries no blame for launching their rocket attacks from heavily populated civilian areas?

    Nope all Israel’s fault.

    • MississaugaPeter says:

      Matt,

      Most of Gaza is a “heavily populated civilian area”. 1.8M people in an area of 360 square kilometers (139 square miles).

      Toronto has 2.6M peeople in area of 630 square kilometers (230 square miles).

      Gaza density: 5,000 people per square kilometer
      Toronto density: 4,125 people per square kilometer

  3. Kudos on Andrew Leslie for speaking the truth.

  4. sezme says:

    Don’t know anything about David Bertschi, but I agree with what Andrew Leslie said. The Liberals could use more like him.

    • Matt says:

      Really? The Liberals could use more people accusing one of our allies of war crimes with unfounded allegations them of “firing indiscriminately on women and children”

      Leslie should be fired by Trudeau and blocked from seeking the Liberal nomination in Ottawa-Orleans.

      • sezme says:

        To be clear, Israel’s military response to Hamas has been horrendous, both from an ethical and a strategic point of view. Who cares whether Israel is an ally of Canada? If the shoe fits…

        As far as whether the Liberal need people who say unpopular (but true) things: yes, absolutely. We will never get anywhere as a society by seeking shelter in convenient (if widespread) lies. You and I may not agree on the facts about the conflict in Israel/Palestine, but I hope at least you believe in speaking the truth as a general principal.

      • Terry Quinn says:

        I think the israelis know deep down they overdid the shelling of mosques and schools in their zeal to knock out all the missile launch sites. That does not change the fact that Hamas used the people as human shields. I think General Leslie supported Israel but suggested as I just did that maybe some of their defence was overdone. Then again war is war. I don’t think he pissed JT off and I think some others are missing the picture about how horrific Hamas really is. The Palestinians they shot last week were not israelis but simply opposed to their own people being used as human shields. Hamas listens to no one.

        And don’t forget the dirty Tories sent one of their pigeons to pose the question probably knowing what the answer would be since Leslie also lives in Ottawa. That is where the focus should be and probably where JT will land his comments.

      • Kev says:

        Allies? You mean, the people who for decades forged – and probably continue to forge – fake Canadian passports and identities for its spooks and special forces, thereby putting Canadians in danger?

    • Elisabeth Lindsay says:

      More importantly, Sezme, does M. Trudeau agree with him? He has come out in favour of Israel lately. Seems to be a huge difference of opinion between the two. Will M. Trudeau refuse his candidacy as he has done with others who disagreed with him?

  5. davie says:

    This guy does not come close to representing the views of an increasingly large number of Canadians on this issue. None of the three main parties in our House of Commons represents what an increasingly large number of Canadians on this issue.
    But, if it will win you votes, just keep tumbling those same old horse apples out.

    (Just a small question about repetition of the ‘Israel has a right to defend itself’ shibboleth: Can somebody name a people or a country that does not have a right to defend itself?)

  6. Steve says:

    But in saying the IDF fired “indiscriminately” on civilians, Leslie put himself outside the mainstream opinion of Canada’s federal political class.

    That’s the most insipid sentence I’ve read in a long time.

    It’s missing only ‘despite being true….’

    What am I supposed to take from this post?

    • Terry Quinn says:

      Your take should be that the dirty Tories set up a Liberal to get a controversial answer. Dirty Tories are always coming out the sewers across our /country

      • Matt says:

        You can blame the “dirty Tories” all you want. You can claim it was a “set up” if it helps you.

        FACT: Leslie was asked for a comment on the story. He provided a transcript that matched the recording word for word. Nothing was taken out of context.

        Leslie has said he stands by his statements and has nothing else to add.

        The Liberals themselves know what a headache this man can be. They have their own Liberal staffers recording all Leslie’s interactions with people.

  7. MississaugaPeter says:

    It’s a friggin’ mess because two hell-bound identities exist.

    Hamas and Netanyahu are both going to rot in Hell.

    http://jpupdates.com/2014/09/01/british-foreign-minister-hammond-uk-deplores-israels-decision-annex-west-bank-land/

    It’s a friggin’ mess.

    I am no saint, and will spend many millions (if not billions) of years in purgatory for my lack of self-control and not wiser judgment, but these two identities I fell confident I will never meet in my wandering. Thank God for that.

  8. Al in Cranbrook says:

    If there’s one thing Canadians are good at, it’s playing armchair quarterback.

    Canadians who have to remember pretty much all the way back to the War of 1812 for the last time our soil came under attack. You betcha, we’re first rate authorities on how to deal with shite like that!!!

    Canadians who have offloaded defense of their own nation onto America for most of the last 5 decades. (See: Laurier Doctrine)

    Let’s see: Hamas terrorists? Or Israel, the only democracy in the entire region, and whom have been living with this endless crap on their borders since day one back in 1948.

    Apparently this is a tough one for the left to sort out…as per usual.

    • Kaspar Juul says:

      “If there’s one thing Canadians are good at, it’s playing armchair quarterback”

      So says Canada’s greatest armchair quarterback, Professor Al of Cranbrook

  9. !o! says:

    How dare he accurately point out the disregard for civilians by the IDF. We’d best attack him for badmouthing our allies. . .

    sarcasm aside though, I don’t think it’s a wedge. I think attacking Leslie for his comments has absolutely no traction and kind of makes those swinging at him look like hypocritical lickspittles. People are generally for Israel’s right to self defense. Much much fewer are for IDF infallibility.

    • Ron says:

      No traction until The Harperbunker™ sends an “anonymous” source (National Post) to buttonhole Leslie for Sun News. The same “source” identified as
      Ms. Constantinidi by, wait for it, Sun News.

      It will blow over after a few days but later it will show up in attack ads. That’s how they work. They manufacture their own news.

      And if you are in doubt as to Ms. Constantinidi’s credibility as a conduit for “balanced news”, just check out the picture on her Facebook page.

  10. Luke says:

    1. It strikes me that there is a lot of all-or-nothing thinking (and talking) going on surrounding this story and the Israel-Palestine coverage and public dialogue in general. Leslie was critical of Israel, but ultimately more so of Hamas. A person can be supportive of a country/party/group/etc., but not supportive of a specific action, event, policy, idea, etc. To me it was clear that Israel is the side he overwhelmingly supports.

    2. Without spending about a lifetime of intensive research, I have no idea how a person amasses an unbiased view of the past and present of the history of conflict with respect to Israel and Palestine. Personally, I get a general sense from whatever presumably biased media I encounter that neither side is clean in any of this. Regardless (and this will sound to Warren like a John Tory-ism I’m sure), sometimes a person should consider deferring their opinions on obviously complex issues to those with a more intimate knowledge thereof. Not that we should be unthinking, but one must recognize when one is ignorant, and I’ve an inkling that a great many of us do not really have a sufficient knowledge base to back up the strength of our opinions. And so I put more stock into a retired general’s point of view than my own uninformed one, or the various ones issued by talking heads on TV or political spinners.

  11. Joe says:

    Good thing the General didn’t say anything ‘pro-life’ or M Trudeau would have canned the General’s butt!

    I don’t share the General’s views but I do believe that opposing ideas are needed to make sound policy.

    • Kaspar Juul says:

      Hilarious. Professor joe claims he respects others opinions yet there are plenty of occurrences on this site where he has belittled others education and points when defending junk science or statements he can’t prove.

      Thanks for the Friday comedy Joe

      • Joe says:

        Oh yay Tweedle Dum has weighed in with his nonsense again. The point of having differing opinions is that you have a discussion you moron! Yeah I belittle twits who can’t – don’t think because they are not thinking! You come across as some junior high drop out living in Mommy’s basement at best or the pimply adolescent on the Simpsons who retrieves hamburgers from the deep fry vat by scooping it out with his bare hand – repeatedly. With General Leslie I can see that he has a reasoned approach to the ME. I don’t agree with him but his is a reasoned position.

        • Kaspar Juul says:

          and my point is proven. Very mature Joe.

          It makes sense why your junk science and home research hasnt been accepted as legitimate.

          Feel like continuing your playground name calling?

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