What Professor Dion has failed to learn from his Pakistan gaffe, is that statements involving international situations must be tempered with discretion and diplomacy. Making a brash off-the-cuff observation to score cheap political points may end up having unintended ramifications.
The Harper Government, on the other hand is still considering its response, which is the appropriate way to handle the situation. There is no rush - no need for rash decisions here.
However, in typical Liberal Lemming fashion, Dion does suggest that Canada should not be the first in line:
...But he added, Canada should not be the first to recognize Kosovo's independence, noting that the European Union is divided on the issue...This is so pathetic.
Oh, and this has nothing to do with Quebec!
I don't pretend to understand the intricacies of this file, but after reading a few different articles this morning, I was able to see that this is a very complicated situation requiring a great deal of diplomacy.
For example, James Bissett explains why Canada should not recognize Kosovo:
...The recognition of Kosovo outside of the UN framework will set a dangerous precedent. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said that Canada should make foreign policy decisions that are not only independent but are noticed by other powers around the world. Here is an opportunity for Canada to illustrate both of these objectives and stand firm for the UN Charter - by saying no to the recognition of Kosovo.In addition there was a local protest against Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia:
...Protest organizer Jelena Cokorilo tells 570 news Kosovo is the cradle of the serbian church and serbian civilization and that the move is unsustainable from an economic, social and military perspective. Cokorilo says the current Albanian political elite that declared independence for Kosovo, were killing Canadian soldiers in Bosnia during the Balkan conflict in the early nineties.
Obviously this is not a simple matter of who's right and who's wrong. It is an issue requiring a great deal of careful thought, with an eye to all possible consequences.
Stephane Dion has not proven himself capable of handling such delicate situations. He should resign as Leader of the Opposition.
If not, I fear for Canada if he ever becomes Prime Minister.
* * * *
Update - Wudrig Blog: The Nutty Professor.
Steve Janke - Stephane Dion trades harmful budget for personal job security.
William Watson - Liberals get it wrong. (Gazette).
Thursday Update: Recognizing Kosovo could backfire for Ottawa, expert says. (Globe)
Steve Janke - Stephane Dion trades harmful budget for personal job security.
William Watson - Liberals get it wrong. (Gazette).
Thursday Update: Recognizing Kosovo could backfire for Ottawa, expert says. (Globe)
14 comments:
Your title is very misleading. I thought you had written a book length post listing all Dion's shortcomings. Perhaps you could add "PartI" to your title, and make it a series.
Swift - Good point. ;)
I guess I'm taking this as the prime reason. It would be an international disaster.
No only the latest addition to the long long list of reasons.
I'm sure that whatever constitutes the brain trust of the LPC has an even greater list of why he shouldn't have the job he now has.
Specific to DiDi .. Do you suppose that MAYBE just maybe it has finally occurred to him that his position is untenable??
Nah....
... and another reason Dion is not suitable as PM.
Lawrence Eagleburger, former Secretary of State under Bush the Elder, predicted last night on television that ”there will be blood” in Kosovo, the break-away province of Serbia. Kosovo was originally Serb but became ethnically Albanian, and Muslim, over time.
http://www.barrelstrength.com/2008/02/19/kosovo-there-will-be-blood/
Understand there is a job open in Cuba.
So if Harper comes out tomorrow with the same position as Dion, that would be okay because he waited a while longer?
So if Harper comes out tomorrow with the same position as Dion, that would be okay because he waited a while longer?
I would be very surprised if he did.
Kosovo...
If PM Harper were to jump on this bandwagon of congratulating Kosovars on their stunt it would reflect very badly on him and our Nation.
This Kosovo independence move has deep implications on many different levels and most of the possible outcomes are not good.
I say leave the Europeans to stick handle this and let them pay for it.
Dion's done.
If the Liberals want Bob Rae to follow....then it's Christmas all over again for Stephen Harper, and I'm betting he can get his majority courtesy of Ontario who remember what Rae did to their wallets.
I'm just wondering what time the news conference is when Codderre, Ray, Iggy, Goodale, or some other Liberal will tell us what Dion really meant.
At least he never mentioned sending in Nato troops this time.
I'm willing to wait for my government to make the decision.
But what I ardently wish is this: that immigrants to this country would leave their quarrels back where they came from.
When my parents arrived here with four children in tow they didn't start to fight the battles from back home all over again; they put their noses to the grindstone and worked hard - without the benefit of health care, welfare, welcoming classes, language classes, etc. - to give us, their children, the opportunities they had not had.
If Serbs and Kosovars are SO concerned about what goes on in their country of origin, maybe they could go and demonstrate over there?
If I sound angry, I apologize.
It's just so frustrating to see our Canadian government pulled this way and that because new arrivals seem unwilling to turn the page and look to the future.
If the Liberals want Bob Rae to follow....then it's Christmas all over again for Stephen Harper, and I'm betting he can get his majority courtesy of Ontario who remember what Rae did to their wallets.
The only one that I think is remotely competent enough to be PM is Ignatieff, but I find him to be an insufferable blowhard.
As a centre-right voter, I would not accept Rae, at least if he hasn't changed stripes significantly since I voted him in as an Ontario NDP leader in the '90s.
Outwardly, he seemed to be talking the talk, but left us with an even larger debt than he inherited.
Iggy has some credentials, but still comes across as arrogant and prickly. Trudeau-like, some might say. Martha HF was, at one time, someone I found interesting, but post-leadership campaign she plays like a uber-Liberal-partisan on the tube, and now she grates on me.
McKenna is probably the only guy that would get me to switch votes, and he would have to lose most the Lib platform to do so. I'm pretty happy voting CPC again, until something better comes along.
I do not know, but I always figured Iggy as a small C conservative anyway, I just figured he joined the LPC, because at the time it was a away to instantly get into govt and grab a cabinet position. Remember he does have a huge ego and a type A personality and these people do not run to sit in the opposition benches, When he chose the LPC how many of us really thought the PMSH could pull off the election win.
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