cnjournal

By their own words ye shall know them.

For those who do not have the opportunity to read the Ottawa Citizen, the joy of not having to put up with the ultra leftist views of columnist Susan Riley must be immense. For those of us who believe in “know thy enemy”, to have to read her diatribes against anything that does not fit her leftist view of the world and what Canada is all about, is necessary, but no fun.

On Wed, 12 Apr she was at pains to tell us just how ‘woefully irrelevant” Parliament is because the much touted “take note” debate on the Canadian role in Afghanistan was in her words, “a propaganda exercise”. Curiously enough, I do not recall her saying how woefully irrelevant Parliament was when the Liberals were in power, but what do I know.

To bolster her view she cites a recent Ipsos Reid poll that she claims shows that 48% of those polled want the troops home now. Oh, really? Now I could rag on about polls but will only say, that this firm is as card carrying liberal/NDP as you are likely to find in the country. So, as the first act of due diligence, check for the date(s) of the poll, check for the exact poll questions including the lead in ones as well as the caveats and the assertion she makes will lose its effect. Nevertheless, she uses this poll as justification for her view that the ‘elites’ (she means the Conservatives and anyone else who supports the Canadian position in Afghanistan) are out of touch with what the people really want.

All I can say is that we elect MPs not pollsters to govern our country.

On a positive note, she does seem to skewer all opposition parties who badgered the government into holding this airing of views but who morally and physically failed to show. For this lack of spine, she of course blames the Conservative government and particularly, Gordon O’Connor (BGen ret) Minister of National Defence, for his “bullying” by suggesting that historically the NDP, “don’t want the military involved in anything”.

This WW II reference somehow spun the leftist mind of NDP leader Mr. Layton to wrap himself in the act of his grandfather who resigned his seat in the Quebec legislature when the government of the day, “would not support going to war against the fascists.” Sorry Jack, but that was your grandfather, not you and in any event, you should well remember that the war/no war issue of the day was one that was completely split along French – English lines. No great act of anything here to vote your heritage.

The implication throughout the article is that somehow the Conservatives are to blame for the capitulation of the opposition parties when they had to literally put up or shut up. In this case they shut-up, a commendable decision given that their hand wringing over the troops in Afghanistan had nothing to do with legitimate international strategic or tactical concerns but everything to do with big P politics. That and the clear signals that those opposed are on the wrong side of history.

Interesting too isn’t it that even though this mission is both UN and NATO sanctioned the pacifist left mysteriously has decided that their normal lock step indeed slavish adherence to anything spewed out by their darling “do no wrong” UN is, well, wrong in this case. Hummm.

Speaking of history, from her own admission that she attended the House of Commons debate searching for answers to some important questions, it is also clear that she and those posing the questions are living in, at best, a pre-9/11 world. For example, she quotes Bloc MP Maria Mourani claiming that Canadians ask her, “Do we deliver democracy with weapons?” Further, she says other MPs asked how we will know we have “won” - when Afghanistan has a democracy as vigorous as ours? When all kids are in school and women are equal?

Well, yes these achievements would be an uncontested Victory. However, in today’s real world of Islamist fascism and the Taliban lunacy, victory will probably be more modest.

It will probably come as a surprise to her and Ms Mourani but the kind of wars that are the genesis of these types of questions were fought by uniformed national combatants, in set positions and maneuver along defined fronts or lines. This clean understandable (but only in hindsight) world has long gone. And, yes Susan and Maria, democracy is delivered by weapons – just ask all the European countries who were delivered out of Nazism by weapons in WW II.

But let me return to the beginning. Ms Riley starts her inept assessment by admitting that she “cut and ran” from the House well before the debate was over. OK, yes, it was language chosen to be oh so cute, ironic and dismissive of both the P.M. and President Bush.

Yet for me at least it speaks volumes. The fact is, she could not even stay in her place and listen to what was said. Best I can tell it was simply because the speakers were not saying what she wanted them to say.

Boo Hoo, woe is me.

cn