Damn.
I hate to say it… but I can actually live with this.
I'm curious to read Dave's take, and I may well be missing something, but it looks like the Liberals got almost all of what they wanted. There are hard deadlines for the additional troops and equipment, there’s a hard timeline for disengagement even though it’s a bit more stretched out than the Liberals wanted, and there are clear parameters for the mission which focus on security and training rather than counter-insurgency, even if it doesn’t specifically say ‘non-combat’. Not to mention all the nice stuff about accountability and communication, although we know what their track record on that has been.
It doesn't say precisely what will happen if we don't get the troops and equipment, and I’m not sure exactly how we are going to “address the crippling issue of the narco-economy” without “alienating the goodwill of the local population”, but I guess we’ll see.
Shit. Crafty buggers, agreeing with us and all.
(more on this subject over at Kats 'n Dawgs)
Afghan Debate Conservative style!
ReplyDeleteOn a Monday morning the place is usually sparsely populated, but today MP ranks were swollen. Defence minister Peter MacKay started the debate, and seated behind him were about 30 Conservatives, including two other cabinet ministers.
Opposite were almost 40 Liberals, including Stephane Dion, and beside him, Michael Ignatieff. MacKay spoke for more than 40 minutes, during which there was a respectful silence, no heckling, no comments………………..
MacKay finished and took three questions. The Speaker stood, intoned ‘Resuming debate,’ and called upon Dion.…………….
I watched him stand, then looked across the aisle. Two-thirds of the Conservative members had departed, now that the television camera was no longer pointing at their desks. Three minutes later, minister Jim Prentice – the one who last Sunday tried to eviscerate Dion as a deficit lover – took off. Within five minutes there was just one minister – Peter MacKay – and six other MPs. Two minutes later, without even glancing at Stephane Dion, MacKay left the chamber…………….
Extracted from
http://www.garth.ca/weblog/2008/02/25/of-honour-and-respect/#comments
No further comment required? My disgust with this lot overfloweth!