Harper Calls Suggestion of Afghani Ceasefire 'Despicable'
In the House of Commons, when Libby Davies asked him a question concerning the prospect of a future ceasefire, Harper dismissed the question as 'despicable'!
He seems to like war. He seems to think that going to war shows that he is a leader. I think that our Prime Minister's ideological bluster needs to be tempered with some logic.
The Guardian
Buckdog,
I actually don't mind this post, although you're assuming a bit (or a lot) that he likes war and feels it makes him a leader.
But, at the same time, as I said in my post on the Walkom column (which is up now, if you're interested), Harper really should make a clear statement that opposition to the war (let alone just asking questions about it) does NOT mean that you're dispicable or unpatriotic or anything else. But we all know he wont.
Posted by Olaf | 4:20 pm, October 08, 2006
Olaf - he is just too strident, too partisan, too much still sounding like the Leader of the Opposition.
He needs to be more pragmatic.
War is VERY serious and Canadians do not look at it like Americans do. Let's face it, with Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Gulf War I, Afghanistan and Iraq, americans are much more used to war and war economies than Canadians are.
Harper's ultimate demise may result from his inability to sense this difference.
Posted by leftdog | 4:28 pm, October 08, 2006
So suggesting a future Afghanistan where both sides are not shooting at eachother is despicable? Ha! Not in my book. Bye bye Harper, we don't need no warmongering from our Prime Minister.
Posted by Anonymous | 5:38 pm, October 08, 2006
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=39&Ses=1&DocId=2382791#OOB-1682247
The two questions posed by Libby Davies:
"When will the government realize that the George Bush counter-insurgency is not helping Afghans and is not making Canadians safer either?"
"When will the government bring Karzai, the Pakistani military leadership, and combatants, to the same table to hammer out a ceasefire that will finally bring about stability and security in southern Afghanistan? When will it do that?"
Was the Prime Minister a tad harsh in his reply?
Maybe, but then was Davies a tad lacking in good timing and judgement when yet another Canadian soldier had been killed as he was protecting the Afghanis trying to re-build roads?
And is this not a NATO supported effort, in which Canada is one of the few, very few, members to be actually pulling its weight in that country?
And is this not a UN sanctioned effort, which has few, very few, of those nations bubbling forth platitudes about supporting Afghanis, but doing nothing more to input any real assistance?
This IS the one country that is actually pulling its weight!
Putting in the time and the soldiers!
And this woman and many like her, don't/won't likewise charge after those who actually DO shirk their duty as a NATO or UN members, to lift their weight, do their part.
Frankly, I can see how the word, "despicable", would come to mind for those soldiers and families who have given it all, to hear all this social chatter, and finger wagging, at the very government that is trying to make a difference over there.
And at the very same government putting up the big bucks for a battle most have no answer for, other than the coming away from it would surely be worse.
Posted by Anonymous | 5:50 pm, October 08, 2006
You are going to great effort to try and rationalize Harper's ideological approach to his war in Afghanistan. I go back to what the premise of this post was - Harper is driven more by IDEOLOGICAL beliefs than by LOGICAL action.
It is the achilles heel of the Tories. I hope you are out of office soon.
Posted by leftdog | 11:21 pm, October 08, 2006