Thursday, January 17, 2008

Clearing the air

I see that one brave Liblogger is not impressed with Stephane Dion's public musings about sending NATO forces to Pakistan - You and whose army, Stephane?

Meanwhile, Denis Coderre tries to clarify his leader's message - Dion Blasted:

"There's no way that we will send troops or stuff like that."


Whew, that's a relief!

It was the stuff that I was really worried about.

* * * *
Update: Stephen Taylor - Pakistan condemns Dion's foreign policy ignorance.

Steve Janke - Pakistan condemns Stephane Dion's irrational comments.

Unambig - Calling out all galloping beavers.

SDA - Pakistan: Dion, meet foot. (With a link to Cherniak's interesting take on events)

Friday Update:

Globe
- Dion backs down from Pakistan comments.

Post - Stephane Dion's Obama moment.

Edmonton Journal - Feds, Pakistan criticize Dion for 'irrational comments'.

* * * *

Retired Canadian general Lewis MacKenzie - Liberal demand would endanger soldiers. (Not so much on the Pakistan gaffe, but an interesting read) - "When in the history of mankind was there some sort of contractual agreement regarding how long a nation would sign up and stick around for the fight? It was assumed you would not abandon your allies until the job was done."

Of course there is the counter argument - NATO allies must help in Afghanistan (Gazette).




22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Denis Coderre ,spin doctor extra-ordinaire

Platty said...

Did he actually say stuff like that?

Wow, nothing like being clear and concise.



===

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Did he actually say stuff like that?

It was a quote from the Globe.

Just the kind of articulate man you would want as Minister of Defence.

Anonymous said...

you don't know what you speak about!

Anonymous said...

Partisan sniping aside, Dion did not call for a NATO led invasion of Pakistan. Rather, he pointed out what everyone already knows. As long as the porous border between Afghan and Pakistan allows terrorists to come and go as they please, there will be no solution to Afghan's problems.

As for Coderre's unfortunate choice of words, how well do you think the vast majority of conservative MP's comments play en francais? most of them can't even speak french.

Dion had the guts to say what Mackay can't, our current mission in Afghan is doomed until we shut down the border.

Anonymous said...

Di(o)n't get it done

Lieberals at work again

Platty said...

That's great anon, how do you propose we do this?

==

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Exactly, Platty. Just more hot air and no substance.

Anonymous said...

See S. Taylor's blog for official press release from Pakistan re: Dion's budinski politics.

Platty said...

Oh, and anon, what was that about Mackay not saying anything about the problem with the Pakistan border?

Maybe you should read this, before you engage that gaping pie hole.

Platty said...

One other thing there anon, Mackay did not require the services of someone to "clarify" his comments after he made them.

Anonymous said...

Could you in your wildest dreams imagine Stephan Dion as PM, with Denis Coderre, honary member of the Hezbollah and Minister of Defence, being the military strategists behind an invasion of the border lands between Pakistan and Afghanistan.I can hear him now: "You think it is easy to make priorities".

I rather doubt that he 'would get the job done'.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

See S. Taylor's blog for official press release from Pakistan re: Dion's budinski politics.

Thanks for the tip, Anon. Link here.

O.K. I defer to Stephen Taylor for best Conservative blog at the Canadian Blog Awards.

Anonymous said...

Anon,
About Dions 'guts' or lack thereof.. You are confused Anon, like your 'hero' Dion. Guts is not the issue here. Mr. Dion is in the dream world of a sociologically confused person who is not sure where he is at, or what time of day it is. He is your epitome of a klutz. He was so confused that he made recommendations to the Manley Panel just before having gone to Afghanistan for the first time in his life. He was so confused that he went to the Manley panel first thinking that they were in Afghanistan rather than gaining just the slightest little bit of knowledge on the ground then visiting the Manley panel.

What he does not know about world affairs would fill a huge book.

Anonymous said...

What he does not know about world affairs would fill a huge book.
What you don't know about world affairs would fill a library.

Nice bobbing and weaving everyone, but MacKay still claimed Dion wants to invade Pakistan.

Platty said...

Nice bobbing and weaving everyone, but MacKay still claimed Dion wants to invade Pakistan

Bobbing and weaving?? LOL

Hey, you want to see bobbing and weaving??

I give you the king bobblehead...


"It's a very important mission and we want to be there" -- Stephane Dion, March 2006

"We will succeed in Afghanistan if we show a lot of determination ... We need to be resolute and to succeed." -- Stephane Dion, March 2006

"We need to be there. Canada is a good citizen of the world. We are very courageous. We have been in Yugoslavia. We are ready to be in tough situations." -- Stephane Dion, 2006

"There is no way that Canada will be an occupying force. I'm supporting the mission because I'm still convinced that most of the people of Afghanistan want our protection." -- Stephane Dion, October 10, 2006



====

Joanne (True Blue) said...

MDL is worth watching. The clip about party strategists debating Dion's call for NATO action in Afghanistan.

If you watch the clip you'll see the English subtitles. The translation reads, "...If they are incapable of doing it themselves, it's something we would have to look at with NATO forces: how to help Pakistan to help us pacify Afghanistan..."

Then Marie Poulin pipes up that he meant diplomatic collaboration!


As Bernard Lord says afterward, it does not bode well when the whole party has to come out the next day to explain what the leader meant.

I think that's more the point, L.S.

Dion does not communicate well.

It's a big problem for someone wishing to become the leader of our country.

Jeff said...

dion didn't suggest that nato should invade pakistan, not by a long shot.

just while we're on the topic of opposition leaders who have been in favour of invading sovereign nations, i believe our current PM was all for going into iraq, that much is certain.

paulsstuff said...

"dion didn't suggest that nato should invade pakistan, not by a long shot.

just while we're on the topic of opposition leaders who have been in favour of invading sovereign nations, i believe our current PM was all for going into iraq, that much is certain."

Good ole Jeffy never fails to disappoint. Explain why Dion referred to Nato Forces Jeffy if he was talking about a diplomatic solution. Were the Forces to be used for coffee and timbit runs in Afghanistan for the diplomats?

I have to agree with you on the Iraq thing. Kind of ironic though that a former PM by the name of Paul Martin also wanted to send our troops to Iraq, eh Jeffy? Of course some guy named Chretien also had our Navy in the Persian Gulf helping with U.S. missions into Iraq.

Jeff said...

NATO troops have been involved in peacekeeping missions since the end of the cold war.

can you contradict dion's assertion that as long as pakistan harbours terrorists, success in afghan is impossible?

canadian troops have not been involved in iraq in a combat role, sorry dude.

paulsstuff said...

"can you contradict dion's assertion that as long as pakistan harbours terrorists, success in afghan is impossible?"

Not at all. Of course Peter Mackay said the same thing awhile back, but suggested diplomatic talks with Pakistan to encourage them to crack down on the Taliban. The fact is Dion stuck his foot in his mouth by referencing "Nato Forces" to address the problem. Spin it all you want. It's just another bumbling example of your leader.

"canadian troops have not been involved in iraq in a combat role, sorry dude."

Ah, typical Liberal playing both sides of the fence. At the beginning of the Iraq war Canadian Navy vessels aided in air attack missions on key targets in Iraq, as well as provide security to U.S. and British aircraft carriers. Chretiens way of standing on both sides of the fence. And there were Canadian JTF members in Iraq whose role has never been released to to security reasons.

And you do remember Chretien sending our troops to Afghanistan on a moments notice after realizing his cheap partisan politics was harmful to U.S./Canada relations, right Jeffy?

Platty said...

A link to the Peter Mackay comments regarding the Pakistan border is about 12 posts up from this one Jeff, read his and then read Dions.