Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Regarding Stephane Dion's leadership potential

These two editorials are about as disparate as you can get - Star's Chantel Hebert vs. the Post's John Turley-Ewart.

Same event. Two totally different conclusions.


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BTW, this was not helpful. An example of someone who probably wishes he could take back a careless comment.


See also - Just Right: And his trip was going so well!

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

a more opposing interpritation of the events couldn't be possible in any other country...facts verses assumed fiction...

I guess we in the West can better understand the proliferation of Liberals in the Center of the Universe given they're feed the same drivil every day after day from their self named Paper (not willing to call it News)

Joanne (True Blue) said...

given they're feed the same drivil every day after day from their self named Paper (not willing to call it News)

Well said!


Actually I don't find Chantel Hebert all that bad most of the time, but this piece is less than worthy of her.

Anonymous said...

so Hebert thinks Dion's breaking out of his weak leader box?

I hear they've invented a SUPER carrot.

This is the same paper sucked in by Falconer

Anonymous said...

It is worth noting that one writer makes an attempt to back up their assertions with quotations and facts. The other makes assertions but makes no effort to qualify them. Journalsim requires a little bit of effort sometimes. Every once in a while we expect a paragraph to consist of more than just one sentence too.

OMMAG said...

Hebert usually has a better grip on reality.

Methinks she is pandering here as this article seems to be penned to reinforce the typical Star reader's standards of critical thinking.

As Dion could not possibly have been more ridiculous in that environment it's a real stretch to try to paint this a as a positive change in his public image.

Although the point about being overly sure of oneself in regard to assumptions on public opinion should be heeded.

Anonymous said...

the carrot gets my support!

OMMAG said...

Hebert - "They need all the help they can get to imagine him in power."

Too true ..... is this her effort to help?

J Turley-Ewart - "Mr. Dion's position is apparently that Afghanistan is a worthy cause, but not so worthy that Canadians should continue to fight for it. If this is what passes for principle in the new Liberal party, then it is easy to see why most Canadians don't think much of Mr. Dion's leadership."

I can't say that he's got any facts to back up the "most Canadians" thing but aside from that ..... pretty obvious.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Methinks she is pandering here as this article seems to be penned to reinforce the typical Star reader's standards of critical thinking.

That's what I was wondering. It's not up to her usual standards. Maybe she was getting flack for straying too far right in her opinion pieces.

Although the point about being overly sure of oneself in regard to assumptions on public opinion should be heeded.

Also a good point. However, given the continual frustrating polls showing little hope of a majority, I doubt that Harper is feeling over-confident.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

I can't say that he's got any facts to back up the "most Canadians" thing but aside from that ..... pretty obvious.

He's probably referring to this.

Platty said...

All I can see after reading the Star piece is Hebert being video taped sitting in a wooden chair in front of a blank white wall, reading the column, with a gun pointed at her off camera....and at the end we can hear a barely audible male voice..Le Prince Dion deviendra un jour Roi d'Canada


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VW said...

I get the impression that Hebert is focusing more on the logistics of the trip, while JTE was focusing more on the results.

If you are a Liberal strategist, then the trip could be considered a success. Dion stayed on his message, Iggy didn't contradict him, and the meeting with the Afghan President was polite enough that the spin doctors didn't have to do a contortionist act to paint the trip in a positive light.

Of course, if you disagree with Dion's message to begin with, then the "success" merely appears as delusional. Sort like Sean Penn during Hurricane Katrina, except that Dion didn't use any sinking boats.

Burton, Formerly Kingston said...

VW, I could of agree with your submission if it was not for the MSM yesterday reporting on the reaction of the Afgan President and others, it would seem the meeting was not quite as Mr.Dion indicated, he was politely told they Afgan govt wants no change in the present policy, where as he tried to wallpaper over that with the enthusiasm for other projects remarks.

Anonymous said...

Why do we care about the reaction of the Afghan President? It seemed to matter little when he was negotiating with the Taliban, so when Layton suggested doing the same thing, Layton was called a traitor. Why does Taliban Hamid get a pass?

Platty said...

When the Taliban emerged in the 1990s, Karzai was at first one of their supporters but later he broke with them and refused to serve as their U.N. ambassador. He lived in exile in Quetta, in Pakistan where he worked to reinstate the Afghan king, Zahir Shah. His father was assassinated, presumably by Taliban agents, on July 14, 1999, and Karzai swore revenge against the Taliban by working to help overthrow them.

In 2001, Hamid Karzai worked closely with the Ahmad Shah Massoud to help gather support for the anti-Taliban movement.


Sounds more like a man who wants the Taliban out of commission, wouldn't you agree anon?


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Anonymous said...

Of course he does, even though he is negotiating with them. So why the smear that Layton, who suggested negotiating with them, wants the Taliban in power, complete with beheadings and terror training camps?

Swift said...

Imagining Dion as PM sounds like a job for Dean R. Koontz and Stephen King

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Swift, now there's a horror story!

Seriously though, I think we have our own little horror story going on in Ontario.

Möbius said...

Dion is not nearly as bad as conservatives think he is, nor nearly as wonderful as some Liberals presume.

He's in a bit of a fix on a lot of policy issues, because he was an important member of the previous government.

He seems to believe that he needs the left to help him win the next election. This is why J. Cherniak has been set the task of attacking NDP voters for not voting Liberal.

Centre-right conservatives certainly won't help him if he shifts the party further left, even if, eventually, the inevitable arrogance and corruption claims the CPC after several years of majority or pseudo-majority provided by ineffective opposition.

JR said...

That "boost" for the Liberals Chantal Hebert wrote about has just been reversed.

The latest is that Dion has stepped in it, again, by musing about the need for NATO intervention in Pakistan. (See Mark Collins' post at The Torch). He wants to pull Canada from its combat role - and yet get NATO involved in a potentially much more intense combat operation??

Joanne (True Blue) said...

The latest is that Dion has stepped in it, again, by musing about the need for NATO intervention in Pakistan

Yikes!

BTW, I see that Jack's Newswatch picked up your post.