Buckdog

No matter what a new Decima Poll indicates, Canada’s General Rick Hillier stubbornly insists that Canadians want to continue military operations in Afghanistan.

"I think Canadians believe in this mission," Gen. Rick Hillier told reporters in Kandahar early Monday morning. "I think they believe that we have a responsibility as the rich and luxurious and caring nation that we are to help in other places around the world where the populations don't have any of those benefits or advantages or rights." Hillier insisted that Canadians believe Canada is in Afghanistan for a good cause, "and I believe they support our soldiers in doing it," he said.

First of all, Hillier is telling us what he ‘believes’ not what he ‘knows’. Decima did not tell us what they ‘believe’, they told us what they ‘know’ based on scientific research and analysis.

Secondly, with all due respect to the General, he is a military public servant and what he ‘believes’ is an opinion. As a trusted servant of the Canadian people, it would be better for him to tell us what he knows from a technical point of view and leave the politics to the politicians. We elect our politicians and we hold them accountable. If the people so choose, they can throw the elected officials out of office. Canadians have no such process of accountability with our military.

CTV.ca

CBC.ca