Dion: Out of Afghanistan in Feb 09

[Donut]

Fair dealings, etc:


http://www.nsnews.com/issues07/w031107/033207/news/033207nn1.html

Stéphane Dion visits North Vancouver

Promises end to Afghan combat if he's elected

James Weldon

jweldon@nsnews.com

STEPHANE Dion promises to end the nation's combat mission in Afghanistan at the beginning of 2009 if he gets elected, he said in an interview with the North Shore News.

The new leader of Canada's Liberal party made the comment while visiting North Vancouver Monday. He was in the city as part of a cross-country tour to rally support for his party in advance of a possible spring election. Dion met with the North Shore News after a brief tour of the Lonsdale area.

"The combat mission must have an end, otherwise we are there forever," said Dion. "It's half of our international aid now that's going there."

Stephen Harper, on the other hand, will not commit to ending it, he said.

"The Prime Minister is unable to look you in the eyes and say 'We are out of the combat mission in Kandahar in February 2009. . . .'" said Dion. "We have all the information that they are planning to stay there until 2011 or even (longer). It's a complete mess."

Dion hopes his position on this and other issues will help his party retain the North Shore's two federal ridings when voters go to the polls. Both North Vancouver and the riding encompassing West Vancouver have seen tight races in the past.

Since his nomination, the Liberal leader has seen his party slide in the polls, with the governing Conservatives widening their lead to as much six points, but Dion is confident the local incumbents can hold on.

"I'm . . . optimistic," he said. "I think I have an incredible team of candidates . . . in British Columbia."

For one thing, the Liberals will lead the Conservatives on the environment, said Dion.

The party platform will focus on the creation of a "sustainable economy," he said. A system of carbon trading, industrial regulation and investment in green technology will help Canada profit from fighting the climate crisis.

Many of the environmental policies introduced recently by Harper are actually old Liberal programs cut by the Conservatives when they came to power, said Dion.

"When (Harper) saw the polls, he asked himself: 'What can I do? I have cut all these programs. I will recreate them with new names'," he said. "(That's) what he's doing. It's not a plan."

The Conservative version is generally no match for the Liberal model, added Dion.

"It's pale imitation. Usually less money and less details, and less comprehensive," he said. "People feel behind it there is no conviction in the case of Mr. Harper, (but that) there is a deep conviction in my case."

The Liberals will also outdo their opponents on socio-economic issues, such as their approach to taxation, said Dion.

The Liberal leader will oppose any further reduction in the GST, saying cuts to income tax and business taxes would make much more sense both for lower income earners and for the economy.

"It is not the time to facilitate consumption when so many people are in debt and have no savings," he said. "Better to decrease income tax to help them save money."

But whether or not Dion would defeat the budget on that basis is another matter.

"I will refrain (from) speculating about the budget," he said. "We will assess it together as a caucus when we see it."

Article Ends

Hilighting is mine.

While it seems incredibly obvious to say that it must end, or else it goes on forever (duh!) this is yet another example of the Lieberals trying to have their cake and eat it, too.

Not enough aid...no, it's too much aid...a poor mission fit...whadya mean we started it?

I guess we can look on the bright side, at least the Loyal Opposition elected a fool as a leader.  Since the CPC needs to have an opposition in the House, at least they're incompetent.

DF

 

[a_majoor]

I suppose it is too much effort for the MSM to ask the obvious question: "then what?"

An entire nation cannot be rebuilt in two years (it took almost 500 years to create Canada starting with Cartier and the founding of New France).

In 2009, the ACM's will still be active and still bent on destroying reconstruction work and institutions of government and the rule of law (unless the military effort is vastly expanded to deny the Taliban and ACM's foreign sanctuaries and completely disrupt the flow of money and supplies)

Ending the combat mission in Feb 2009 is a guarantee that fighting will intensify in the summer of 2009, undoing all the stability and development work we have accomplished since the initial deployment of Canadians in 2002.

 

[Journeyman]

...the obvious question: "then what?"

...guarantee that fighting will intensify in the summer of 2009, undoing all the stability and development work we have accomplished

Does the name Pontius Pilot ring any bells?

 

[Quag]

Now watch his polls slide even more...C'mon this guy is ridiculous...I think Canadians would rather see SOME PROGRESS rather than spend that much time, money and casualties just to pull out.  Now I'm not saying that huge progress hasn't been made already, I'm just saying that to have some more stability in the region would be more rewarding; and that could take more than half a century.

 

[Journeyman]

Now watch his polls slide even more...C'mon this guy is ridiculous...I think Canadians would rather see...

Not necessarily. Campaigning politicians will tell Canadians what those Canadians want to hear. Out on the Left Coast, Dion says he'll end the mission ASAP and focus on the environment. In Quebec, he'll tell them he'll further decentralize Federal powers......

I think his main purpose now is to get face time in the rest of Canada. What he says - - and the polls spun by it - - especially this far out from an election, has pretty limited value.

But that's just my 'Cynical Politics 101' view 

 

[GAP]

Not necessarily. Campaigning politicians will tell Canadians what those Canadians want to hear. Out on the Left Coast, Dion says he'll end the mission ASAP and focus on the environment. In Quebec, he'll tell them he'll further decentralize Federal powers......

I think his main purpose now is to get face time in the rest of Canada. What he says - - and the polls spun by it - - especially this far out from an election, has pretty limited value.

But that's just my 'Cynical Politics 101' view   

I'd say that's pretty accurate.

 

[gaspasser]

I don't care if we're there for another 10 years, providing we are still doing "good" and preventing the Taliban from returning.  I believe that it is Canada's legasy to help developing countries come into the 21st century.  What we are doing in Afghanistan makes me proud to call myself Canadian. 
And Dion wants to take that away??  :tsktsk: 
Dion is, yet again, grandstanding on the Conservatives "he said-she said".  I can see why Dion and his new Liberals are sliding in the polls while the Conservatives, AND others, are gaining.  Dion is getting on tv and in the media JUST to make a presence to let the rest of his party see; "here I am, still making noise, merci." 
If there is to be an election soon, at least Stephan Harper is telling me what he is doing or about to do.  At least he is willing to finish the fight that the Liberals put us into.  At least he is willing to help another country.  He is not just what I want to hear.
Give'em heck, Stephen.
My 0.02
Regards

 

[GAP]

History will prove me right or wrong, but I keep getting the feeling that Dion is another Kim Campbell or John Turner...he's just not coming across to people.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

What! that twit was in my home town! Wish I knew then I could have asked embarassing questions.

 

[MediTech]

"The Prime Minister is unable to look you in the eyes and say 'We are out of the combat mission in Kandahar in February 2009. . . .'" said Dion. "We have all the information that they are planning to stay there until 2011 or even (longer). It's a complete mess."

So having a plan for someting makes it a complete mess?  I always thought that if you went into something without a plan would result in a complete mess but I guess I'm wrong.  Planning ahead will cause failure in the end.  You're better off to not plan ahead.

Secondly, if it's a complete mess in Afghanistan why isn't he advocating that we continue our work there to fix it up? 

 

[Donut]

Medi Tech, PM inbound.

 

[canadianblue]

I wouldn't worry too much, Stephane Dion is a flip flopper, he'll say one thing on tuesday, and something completely contradictory on wednesday.

He seem's to be turning into the Stockwell Day of the Liberal Party. At the very least, the NDP has always had the position that we shouldn't even be in Afghanistan.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I wouldn't worry too much, Stephane Dion is a flip flopper, he'll say one thing on tuesday, and something completely contradictory on wednesday.

He seem's to be turning into the Stockwell Day of the Liberal Party. At the very least, the NDP has always had the position that we shouldn't even be in Afghanistan.

Yea, but at least you could understand what Day was saying, Dion saving grace is that no one will be listening while he is flip flopping.

 

[canadianblue]

I think that the Liberal's are regretting electing Stephane Dion as leader. Personally, I was hoping Gerard Kennedy would get elected, it might have even jolted me over the Liberal side, but it was not to be.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Well being a gun owner, I didn't have to many choices so it's CPC for me. The rest used me as a scapegoat or paint me as some kind of freak that needs to be controlled for the good of the public!

 

[canadianblue]

Which is unfortunate, I myself have been around guns most of my life considering I lived on a farm. I think I'm more progressive in my beliefs, but in some cases while nobody wants to see gun proliferation, our country is getting to the point where we forget that their are other causes of crime besides simple gun ownership. I actually read an interesting article in Harpers about "The progressive case for guns", and if anyone is interested it's a really good read.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I would love it if firearms were not an issue and people could think about other things. But the Liberals still have a firearm ban as one of their goals and that includes ALL Semi-autos, so if you hunt with a semi-auto shotgun say goodbye to it.

Don’t think for a minute they won’t feed you to the wolves, they like to pick off one group at a time, divide and conquer. Never think that there going after one group of gun owners won’t affect you, your just next in line. I used to think the NRA was crazy defending suppressor and stuff, now I understand, the thin edge of the wedge is the wedge! Break it off before it can be used.

 

[canadianblue]

Well, I disagree with gun control to a point. I don't think a person should be able to own lets say a 30 round automatic weapon. I don't see the need for such a weapon.

So far the I've seen the promise of a ban on hand guns from the Liberal's, but that's really a promise which is meant for image and nothing else since we have technically always had a ban on handguns.

 

[a_majoor]

Veering back on topic here, part of the reason Dion and Taliban Jack can say such outragious things and take a position which is just reeking with moral cowardice lies in the fact that "our side" is not forcefully making the point as to why we are in Afghanistan.

By our side I mean the Government of Canada, and in particular Prime Minister Harper, Peter Mackay and the rest of the front bench.

We are in Afghanistan to protect our nation and our national interests, promote international peace and stability, and protect and encourage human rights in Afghanistan. These are efforts and accomplishments to be proud of and the Government should be out there selling this stuff every day through every channel they have access to. Yes the right wing Blogosphere is thumping the drum, but just like Army.ca, much of their readership are already the "converted", and although they are making inroads the MSM is still the biggest and most effective communications channel around.

Prime Minister Harper really needs to get out there and communicate why we are in Afghanistan, and should openly challenge Mr Dion and Mr Layton each and every time they open thier mouths and say something as stupid and cowardly as we should pull out, negotiate with the Taliban etc.

 

[Flip]

A_Majoor

Exactly! But Harper will pay a political price for jolting us (Canadians) out
of our peaceful slumber.  The odd thing is that General Hillier has been used
by both parties to ring the bell.

It's up to us.

It's up to right thinking Canadians to rise out of the proletariat goo and
call the intellectuals, the media and the LIBERALS for what they are.
liars.

Every day Canadians' perceptions are moved ever so slightly left by
another editorial that goes un-unswered and an opinion that goes
un-challenged.

Today's Globe and Mail springs to mind. Yea right we invade Afghanistan
for the oil.......... I live in Alberta! Not buyin' that for a second!

Is this against ARMY .CA policy?....... if so I apologize.

I should be quiet now..... My wife worries for my health.