Barley Bill to bring down the House?

Time for the Liberals to put their money where their mouth is. Legislation is set to be introduced to finally give Western barley farmers a choice when marketing their grain.

We promised farmers that we will bring them choice in the markets for grain, and the Liberals, and many on the left, have attempted to stop us at every turn. Now that our efforts have been rejected by the courts (incorrectly, I believe), it's time to put it into legislation.

Mr. Dion, it's your move. We firmly believe that farmers want this choice... and I think the electoral results in those three provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba) attest to that fact. The bill is set to be introduced very soon. Your options are either "YEA", or "NAY".

RMR Liberals Video - ALMOST 16,000 HITS!

Rick Mercer is a genius alright... that's what almost everyone that has seen this clip has been saying, here online, and all the people I've show it to here at work! When I checked yesterday, it had around 5,000 hits... this morning, it's just a few shy of 16,000! Talk about a viral video!

Of course, perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Warren posted it on his website late last night... (and some people say he's a nobody in the blogosphere... whatever. Bottom line is, when Warren posts something, traffic goes up)

Anyway, he has a VERY interesting comments about the video... something the Liberals need to pay heed to...

"when they start laughing at you, it's all over. Fini."
OUCH! Despite what you may think of the guy, he's been right about a whole lot in the realm of Canadian politics over the last few years... 19 times out of 20. If he says it's OVER, FINI, for Team Dion, then there's sure to a whole lot of worrying over in the OLO.

So, on that note, here it is again! (I can't get enough of this thing!!!)




UPDATE: CalgaryGrit and Red Tory 2.0 posted it too.


UPDATE II: It just topped 17,500.

Gloria Galloway Watch VIII

Been a while since I did an update, so I thought I'd throw in my two cents on Gloria's coverage of the Chuck Cadman bribe accusations, in the Globe & Mail, and on CTV Newsnet.

I think she actually reported things very well... fairly, accurately, and in a balanced manner. With a story that could obviously be very explosive, I think she covered it just like a reporter should... well.

TODAY'S UPDATED GLORIA WATCH SCORES:
Negative - 7
Positive/Netural - 4 (+1)

Good on him

Turns out Prince Harry has been on the front lines in Afghanistan since mid-December.


Good show old boy... good show. As a loyal British subject (I was born in Manchester) I think it's a good move for the British Royal family. Both Harry (unfortunately, mostly through his antics) and William have shown that they're real people, and are breaking the stuffy mold (PUN!) that people think of when they think of the Royal Family.

Perhaps there's hope for them yet...

NDP to put forward Non-Confidence Motion on March 14?

According to La Presse, it looks like Jack might be on the attack... h/t to Dr. Roy

(as translated by Google)
"The motion would be drafted as simply in order to join the Liberal Party and the Bloc Quebecois to the cause of the NDP. "That this House has no confidence in government." If passed, Canadians would therefore to the polls this spring. If they should refrain again, Mr. Layton could in turn attack the credibility of Mr. Dion. In all, the Harper government must give seven days of the three opposition parties by March 14."

Hey guys... we're ready when you are.

UPDATE: According to the CBC, the Non-Confidence motion may come up THIS FRIDAY, March 7.

Did the CBC assume we were going to the polls?

You do have to wonder due to their timing in releasing this story...

Humm... were they perhaps planning to toss this grenade on behalf of their political masters, right in the middle of what was thought to be an imminent election campaign? With their current record of the last while, you do have to wonder.

Of course, futher investigation needs to be made. According to the story though, the PM (then the Leader of the Opposition) already launched an internal party investigation, but found nothing to substaniate the claims. Also, the book quotes Mr. Harper as saying, "Harper is also quoted as saying he told the pair they were wasting their time, and warned them not to push Cadman, saying: "I just, we had all kinds of our guys were calling him and trying to persuade him, but I just had concluded that that's where he stood and respected that."

The Globe & Mail has a much better set of quotes from Mr. Harper, in an excerpt from the book.

More to come, I'm sure.

UPDATE: Commenter "Cool Blue" over at Mike Brock Online made this interesting point...

"By Cool BLue on February 28, 2008 7:16 AM

The CPC has a basic party insurance policy covering anything that may happen while somebody is participating in a party event, I've signed up for it myself when organizing events... the maximum coverage is $1 000 000.

What they may have been talking about was that if he rejoined the CPC, he would then be covered under their general policy."

If that's what's being talked about here, then this is clearly much to do about nothing... most employers have some sort of coverage like this... I know my wife will be able to buy a house if I pop off anytime soon, thanks to my employee death benefits. I'll admit though, I don't have as nice a coverage as that.

UPDATED II: This from CTV's story:

During an appearance on CTV's COUNTDOWN in May 2005, Cadman told Mike Duffy that rumours he had been offered an unopposed nomination in his B.C. riding by Conservative officials, were true.

"The discussions did come up," he admitted on the show. "The talk did come up, yeah."

Cadman said he declined the offer, however.

"That was the only offer on anything that I had from anybody," he added, rebuffing suggestions he made a deal to throw his support behind the Liberals.

"There were no offers on that table up to that point, on anything from anybody."

That quote from Mr. Cadman himself, saying "There were no other offers on that table up to that point". It would lend credence to the comment left on Mike Brock's blog (see "UPDATE" above), as giving him an unopoposed nomination would bring him back into the Party fold, and as such, into the "employee" benefits plan.

Microsoft Server 2008 Launch

Got to go to the official launch of Windows Server 2008 today. Pretty cool... they actually gave everyone in attendance a free FULL copy of the OS... not a trial.

The folks at Microsoft also informed us that they're sending us all a full fledged copy of Windows Vista Ultimate, for our own personal use... I get the impression that they're trying to encourage more IT folks to get on board with the new OS, since we're the ones that make all the recommendations to the higher ups that authorize the upgrade budgets.

Anyway, ran into some guy today... apparently, he's the Chief Operating Officer for some obscure software company based out of Redmond, Washington, and says he works with a couple guys named Steve and Bill...

Mr. Smitherman should study Caledonia next

Many people are attacking Liberal Minister George Smitherman for his idea of wearing the adult diapers to see what our seniors go through.

I won't criticize him, because I think that experience is the best teacher.  I know that Long Term Care facilities have been asking him to honour their 2003 election commitment of a $6000 per bed annual funding increase, which would allow them to hire more staff to ensure residents are changed more frequently.  Maybe this experiment will help encourage him to cough up the dough for better bedside care of our seniors.

However, I think I'll give the Liberal Ministers a suggestion on what they should "experience" next...

How about moving to Calediona for a couple weeks?

Rick Mercer Liberal Budget Announcement

As promised, here it is... one of the funniest segments I've EVER seen on Rick Mercer.

"Liberals - We're Adaptable"

RMR - "We're Liberals, and we're backin' down"

Rick Mercer had what's got to be one of the funniest clips I've ever seen on his show... regarding the Liberals support of our budget.

On Rick's site, go to the second clip, called "Message from the Liberals: We're Adaptable".  Here's the link to the CBC hosted clip... I'll post the embedded YouTube clip as soon as it's up.

Honestly, it's the best Liberal roast I've seen on the CBC... EVER.

The last line is great... "We're Liberals... we're Adaptable"

Dion Blinks - Liberals will support Budget

This just in... Dion WILL support the Budget.

I do find it interesting that Dion has put the word out before the Finance Minister has even finished his speech... one might think he was desperate to wave that little white flag.

Now we just have to wait and see what they do for their ammendment... who knows, maybe they're going to toss us a poision pill of their own.

GREAT speech by Glen Pearson, Liberal MP

Hoped over to CPAC.ca to pick up any pre-Budget stuff, and caught Liberal MP for London North Centre Glen Pearson giving a speech on the Afghan mission... and voicing his support for the extension until 2011.

I must say, I honestly thought I was listening to a Conservative MP, until CPAC flashed his name and Party affiliation on the screen.

Regardless of his affiliation, it was a GREAT speech. Talking about his conversations with Canadian soliders, who told him the Taliban will waltz right back in if we leave. He talked about his dicussions with women's groups, who told him that if we leave, the Taliban will round up, and likely kill, many prominent women who have risen up to positions of leadership since we arrived.

I'm looking forward to getting the Hansard on that one. Well said, good sir. In followup, Peter Mackay also rose up to compliment Mr. Pearson for his words, and his work in public, and in private, on the Afghan issue.

Who says there can't be non-partisan co-operation in our Government?

I am one of the 33.1%

If John Tory is looking for where to begin in his attempt to win back the support of the Party, he need look no further... he can start right here, with me.

I was one of the 433 members who, despite all their concerted efforts, despite all their stage managing of the whole event to ensure their victory, and despite their use of every Party resource available to them in their attempt to hang on to the reigns, still voted for a leadership review.

Here's a quick summary of what I saw this weekend... in the week before the vote, I got three official letters from the Party, basically begging me not to support a review. Then when I got there, I saw a major machine, with lots of the Party brass and organizers, working hard to ensure their victory. I saw major investments of time, energy, and Party resources, trying to secure the delegates against a review. I saw a lot of ignorance of what was really going on, and even saw several people, mostly older folks, interestingly enough, trying to prevent any other voices from being heard. I saw the Leader given the opportunity to speak to all the delegates in their regional breakfasts, with no chance for anyone from the YES side to offer a different perspective. I even saw one older lady walk up to a young YES supporter, with a torn up piece of YES literature and throw it at him, angry at the very suggestion that "her leader" should be questioned. I saw NO supporters seeking to stiffle differing opinions by gathering up our liturature, and attempting to hide it, while we showed them only respect. I saw the NO team use every advantage available to them via their official Party status, and used their privilaged access to manipulate delegates by putting their literature, suggesting that the Ontario Liberals supported a leadership review, on each and every table in the ballroom right before lunch... while YES supporters were barred from entering the room and placing their liturature on the tables. (oh, you guys actually thought that we didn't clue into that little trick?) I saw them rig the agenda, so Mr. Tory gave his speech immediately prior to the vote, while the opportunity to question the leader from the floor was scheduled AFTER the voting had taken place. And I saw one region, Toronto, once again seeking to impose their will on the rest of the Party membership. All in all, it was a pretty disgusting scene.

Despite all that, a full 33.1% chose to call for a leadership review. That may not sound like a lot, but I'd like you to consider who does, and more importantly, who is NOT, included in those numbers. From my view on the ground at the convention, there were two groups, two significant groups, who supported Tory's NO side. The thing is, it's these very same two groups who have been, in my opinion, the main problem in the Party for some time now. It's also my opinion that these individuals are the very same ones who's views and opinions cost us the election back in October. Via their "stacking of the deck", as you might call it, this weekend, they served to only reinforce the views of most of the grassroots that this Party no longer represents our views.

Just who are these two groups, you ask? Well, first of all, you have the current folks running the Party, many of whom recieved automatic delegate status. The second group, who I think ended up swaying things the most this weekend, were the Toronto delegates... the so-called "Toronto Tories for Tory", as their buttons identified them.

Just stop and think about these two groups for just a second. Firstly, the Party apperatus that were automatic delegates, well, many of them were the same folks who were working for and with Mr. Tory's disasterous election campaign last year. And the second group, the "Toronto Tories", well, they're the folks who keep on demanding a more "moderate" platform in an effort to secure votes in Toronto.

Well, here's a bit of a shocking newsflash... there is a world, and a whole lot of seats, outside of the GTA folks. Your views aren't winning us any support outside of the "Centre of the Universe", nor did they even manage to win us a single seat in the entire 416. Meanwhile, the overwhelming number of Toronto delegates were in support of the NO side, against having a leadership review.

So, here's the thing... if you take these two core groups out of the numbers, what would things have looked like? My best guess, is that the numbers would have been almost reversed.

The VAST majority of people I met from outside of the GTA were supportive of a leadership review. These are the folks who live in ridings where our traditional base lives... the people who didn't bother to show up at the polls last October.

The problem is, and let's face it folks, the "grassroots" are no longer with Tory. I can't personally say that I'm against Tory... the fact of the matter is, he's still the best guy I know of for the job. But by snubbing them this weekend, and refusing to heed the call for a review, he did EXACTLY what the grassroots have been accusing him and his team of doing for so long... refusing to listen to the folks who form the core of the Ontatio PC Party.

There's one example from this weekend that will stick with me for a long time, that embodies the exact kind of arrogance and ignorance that I'm talking about... I wish I'd looked closer at his name tag. He was a gentleman in his sixties, maybe early seventies, and for some reason, I got the impression he was from the GTA. (I don't recall what riding he was from) Well, for the sake of argument, I'll call him "Sinclair", after good old Sinclair Stevens, the good old boy who refused to move on when the two Federal parties merged in 2003. As myself and another YES delegate were talking and handing out literature on the convention floor, he and his wife walked up to us and said, point blank, "I just want you guys to realize that if you win, we're gone." We asked him to clarify what he meant by that, and he reiterated, that if the YES side won, he and his wife "are finished with the Party." And then, get this, he accused us, ACCUSED ME, of being anti-Christian and anti-Semetic for supporting the YES side!!! They walk away, and we just look at each other, completely stunned and what's just happened. So, anyway, being the consiliatory kind of person that I am, and to listen to what exactly his concerns were, I went off after him to ask him why he thought that. Totally honest, I wasn't being at all confrontational, I was letting him do all the talking. Anyway, I asked him why he felt that way, and he looks me in the eye, and says, "Excuse me, but... PUFF OFF!!!" (no kidding, that's exactly what he said) We're surrounded by dozens of people, and I try to explain to him who I am, and that I'm a devout Christian and strong supporter of Israel and the Jewish people, and he's screaming at me, "THAT'S B... S...!!! B... S...!!! B... S...!!!", and then just storms off into the crowd.

Reminded me of a saying... "The adult mind is a lot like concrete... all mixed up and firmly set."

Anyway, that gentleman epitomizes the problems that exist within the Ontario PC Party, and why Mr. Tory's rejection of a leadership review has already doomed us in the next election. Those in power, and who "won" the vote on Saturday, have chosen to ignore the will of a great number of the grassroots. Mr. Tory, in his speech right before the vote, promised to listen to the grassroots in rebuilding the Party. He then promptly rejected their strong suggestion that he undergo a leadership review. One in which, quite frankly, I expected he would run in, and could very well win... IF he was able to win back the grassroot members that he and his supporters have so aptly alienated over this last year.

A week before the vote, I got a personal phone call from Mr. Tory. I missed the call, but he left a message, in which he asked me if I had any concerns that I would like to address with him before the convention. Well, here's my suggestion... start working that phone list again, Mr. Tory. That very same list, and keep working it, personally, until you speak to each and every one of those people in person. Obviously, I'll be one of those names, and I'll give you my thoughts on what you need to do to win back the Party... because many of us are not with you right now.

I'll give you an example of what you're facing... my own wife, a strong and hard-core conservative, didn't vote for you in the last election. If you can't win her back, I don't think you have a hope in 2011. And as of this moment, even though you had my vote in October, you wouldn't have it if the election were held tomorrow. Good thing is though, you've got almost three years to win us back... so get cracking.

If our 33.1% is not heeded and won back before the election, you may be able to claw back a few more seats, but you won't be able to win the next election. If the 33.1% of your dedicated volunteers, fundraisers, and supporters remain ignored, they'll either sit on their hands or actively work against you in the next election, and you'll be finished, once and for all.

I'm getting a little deja vu here. Folks, it's 1993 all over again... and it's the same guy, doing exactly the same things, and running us into the ground, no less.

It's time to get to work, Mr. Tory. I'm waiting for the phone to ring.

66.87% means Tory can't hang on

The announcement of the results at this weekend's Ontario PC Convention were somewhat disappointing, to say the least.

Basically, it was the worst possible outcome of the vote. If Mr. Tory had polled higher, he might have a case to hang on. If he had polled any lower, he would have had no choice but to launch a leadership review.

But, instead, the Party has been left in limbo. Where do we go from here Mr. Tory? You can't lead us when 1/3 won't follow... and believe me, they simply won't follow. If you'd shown leadership, accepted the results and launched a review, you could have saved face, and may have even been able to win back the grassroots over the course of a leadership campaign.

Now, he just looks like an indecicive leader, desperately trying to cling to power. Without a seat in Queen's Park, no less.

Lots more to come tomorrow... and believe me, this is not over.

Dion, the PM, and "nice"

A hilarious line in today's Edmonton Sun...

"The prime minister's latest trick? Trying harder to be nice. You can see that this PM struggles with "nice." He'd much rather drag the Liberal leader onto the parliamentary lawn and give him noogies until he cries."

Oh man, I'm gonna have that mental image running around in my head all day today! LOL!!!

Why the Liberals SHOULD trigger an election

Two reasons...

ONE, because I want them to... we're ready to go NOW locally, it's better for us to go sooner rather than later. Forget about how things look nationally, locally, now is as good as it's going to get.

TWO, because if the Liberal keep letting us govern, the number of Canadians comfortable with Mr. Harper having a majority will only keep on going up...

"Another reason the Liberals might want to avoid an election now may be found in a result that shows 54 per cent say they trust Mr. Harper with a majority government, while 45 per cent said the same thing about Mr. Dion. The figures suggest that Mr. Harper may be starting to erode concern over how he would govern with an unfettered majority.

Mr. Donolo said the Liberals may be having difficulty marking out their territory, given that they are forced to sometimes criticize the government and at other times prop it up.

“They are unable to define themselves strongly or convincingly, because of the need to constantly bob and weave to avoid an election,” he said. “It's very difficult to see a silver lining here for the Liberals.”

The best forum for them to "mark their territory" is exactly where they keep on saying Dion will make his best impression... on the campaign trail.

"Another one bites the dust..."

Liberal MP Roy Cullen has announced he won't be running again in the possible upcoming election.

Folks, we now stand at 19 Liberals who are gonna sit the next one out...

Say NO to Brander for Ontario PC 6th VP

UPDATE, May 2010: LONG overdue update, for those still hitting this post via Google... just so folks know, Andrew Brander and I had a great chat about this post at the London Convention in 2008, and we're on pretty good terms... and he's still one of my top picks for campaign workers ANY DAY!!! END UPDATE

I haven't taken any public positions on the candidates for the Ontario PC Executive, though I've had my own private thoughts on one of them, the race for 6th VP. But yesterday's events, I'm coming out openly to oppose Andrew Brander in his efforts to become 6th VP of the Ontario PC Executive.

I've met Andrew Brander a couple of times now. I, as I always do, assumed that people are people, and treat everyone with equal respect. But each time I've met with and talked to Andrew, I've been dismissed as being insignificant, and not worth the time of day for him to bother to even regard my presence. Of course, he had no idea who I was at the time, so I didn't make a big deal of it... I just figured he was some political staffer with an oversized ego, and let him do his own thing.

Now, I discover he's a PCOYA bigshot, and is now running for the Ontario Party Executive. Not if I can help it, with the stunt's he's been pulling in his efforts to keep John Tory in the Leader's chair.

He sent, I think in his current official capacity, a letter to a whole whack of legitimately registered "YES" delegates, informing them that their credentials as delegates are being challenged. It is believed by some that this is a mere intimidation tactic, seeking to discourage some YES members from showing up at the convention. Here's a pic of the letter...

These efforts are being vigorously opposed by the Draft A Leader campaign... stay tuned for updates.

Andrew Brander represents a lot of things that I OPPOSE in the PC Party. He strikes me as being arrogant, and dismissive of anyone and anything that does not help him in his efforts to rise up in the ranks of the Party. He's exactly the sort of person we need LESS of, not more of, in positions of power. As such, as a registered Youth Delegate, I will be voting for his opponent, Robert Elliott.

However, I do have one sincere hope for Andrew... I think he truely is a great motivator and could be of great use to the Party in the years ahead... IF, and that's a big IF, he loses the ego, and learns that positions of power ought to be used to help OTHERS. As such, he needs to learn to put others first, and seek to serve in their best interests, not his own. And I think a loss this weekend could be exactly the sort of thing that might help him learn that valuable lesson.

Andrew, moving forward, the Party could use skilled people like you... but you need to grow in your people skills before you become really valuable. In that spirit, I hope that you are not successful in your bid for 6th VP. It is also my hope that you will take your loss and use it as an opportunity for personal growth and character development, and that you will try again some time in the future.

The best of luck to you... and in my opinion, the best thing for you personally, and for the Party, is a loss this time around. Next time, after I see signs of personal growth, I'll be happy to support you in your bid.

Polls... they go down, they go up

Hey, I gotta post it just to keep things fair... one week, they get a poll they like... this week, we get one that we REALLY like.

39% (+3%) vs. 27% (-3%)... and leading in Ontario by a whopping 8%. (42% vs. 34%)

Can Dion climb down from this one? I still think he has no choice but to pull the plug... if he doesn't, he'll get painted as an even weaker leader, leading the Liberals with no vision, who backed away from a fight out of pure self interest.

But of course, as always, the only one that really counts is the poll at the ballot box...

The election trigger: Dion's budget gaffe

Loads of people are making all kinds of speculation on whether or not we're going to have an election over the Budget.

But I think we finally have an answer, thanks to Mr. Dion's statements on Monday.  I think, that based on his gaffe in Quebec yesterday, that Mr. Dion has now painted himself into a corner that he can't get out of, and he now has no choice BUT to trigger an election.

Let's review his quote just one more time... "If it's a budget that appears to us as being acceptable or at least not too harmful for the Canadian economy, we could let it pass and avoid a $350 million in (taxpayer) expenses for an election."

Did you catch that?  He said, and I quote, "acceptable or at least not TOO harmful".  Amm, I must say, that's some visionary Liberal thinking there for the electorate... "NOT TOO HARMFUL".

I don't think there's any possible way to climb down from that one.  He abstains from the Budget, and Jack Layton can stump for months on that fodder... "Mr. Dion allowed this harmful budget to pass just to save his own skin... he has no vision whatsoever for this nation if he can tolerate such a wrong-headed budget."

There's no way he can live it down if he lets it pass now... he's totally finished on this one if he does.  He will get roasted from coast to coast, and will lose any credibility he had left.

Folks, I think it's settled... we're off to the polls.

Dion losing risking his "base"?

That seems to be the implication given here by these two Liberal bloggers, due to Mr. Dion's softening stance on the upcoming Budget...

Susan.com - "Nooooo!"
BCer in Toronto - "Why?"

To be honest with you, I'm ready to go... not because I think the next vote is in the bag or anything, cause it sure ain't. What I am sure of is that we're ready to go in my riding, and we think we can pull of a win if we go right now.

Here's hoping that Mr. Dion recognizes that it's now or never for his failing leadership.

"Hi, this is John Tory calling..."

Wow, John Tory is working the phones big time this weekend. He called me. From his cell phone. And no, it wasn't a canned pre-recorded message... it was a real live call. Man, I'll at least give the guy props for making the effort.

Must stay strong... must... not... give... in...

A Must Read Book!!!

LOL... gotta love this new book out of the States...

WASHINGTON – Just when liberals thought it was safe to start identifying themselves as such, an acclaimed, veteran psychiatrist is making the case that the ideology motivating them is actually a mental disorder.

"Based on strikingly irrational beliefs and emotions, modern liberals relentlessly undermine the most important principles on which our freedoms were founded," says Dr. Lyle Rossiter, author of the new book, "The Liberal Mind: The Psychological Causes of Political Madness." "Like spoiled, angry children, they rebel against the normal responsibilities of adulthood and demand that a parental government meet their needs from cradle to grave."

"A social scientist who understands human nature will not dismiss the vital roles of free choice, voluntary cooperation and moral integrity – as liberals do," he says. "A political leader who understands human nature will not ignore individual differences in talent, drive, personal appeal and work ethic, and then try to impose economic and social equality on the population – as liberals do. And a legislator who understands human nature will not create an environment of rules which over-regulates and over-taxes the nation's citizens, corrupts their character and reduces them to wards of the state – as liberals do."

Dr. Rossiter says the liberal agenda preys on weakness and feelings of inferiority in the population by:

creating and reinforcing perceptions of victimization;

satisfying infantile claims to entitlement, indulgence and compensation; augmenting primitive feelings of envy;

rejecting the sovereignty of the individual, subordinating him to the will of the government.

"The roots of liberalism – and its associated madness – can be clearly identified by understanding how children develop from infancy to adulthood and how distorted development produces the irrational beliefs of the liberal mind," he says. "When the modern liberal mind whines about imaginary victims, rages against imaginary villains and seeks above all else to run the lives of persons competent to run their own lives, the neurosis of the liberal mind becomes painfully obvious."

Is Pablo TRYING to precipitate an election?

Sure seems like it to me. So I guess I have only one question... is he reading from the Liberal talking points today, or the ones from the CBC? ;-)

"Liberal MP says big gap remains with Harper on Afghan mission"

OTTAWA - A Liberal MP says Prime Minister Stephen Harper is trying to blur the difference between the Liberal and Conservative positions on the Afghanistan mission.

Pablo Rodriguez insists a large divide still exists and that the Liberals remain committed to ending the military's combat role in Afghanistan a year from now."

Okay Pablo, here's a hint... undermining your own leader, when he's made a pretty sensible choice, is not a good idea. Unless, of course, your still trying to orchestrate his ouster.

"Liberals Retreat on Afghanistan"

I will refrain from commenting too much on this, because I am glad to see that the Liberals have changed their position on this issue... in my opinion, they're doing the right thing, so I won't beat them over the head with it.

I will, however, post a link to this article in the Toronto Star on Dion's decision, because it's significant... because it's from the "Red Star", of all places.

Liberal `compromise' is really a retreat to Harper's position
Feb 13, 2008 04:30 AM
Thomas Walkom

On Afghanistan, the Liberals are in full retreat. Party leader Stéphane Dion presents his solution to the Kandahar quandary as a compromise. It is not. In effect, the country's major opposition party has signalled that in all major respects it now supports Prime Minister Stephen Harper's handling of the war.

While designed to finesse the tricky Afghan issue, this remarkable about-face may simply convince voters that Dion and his band of confused MPs aren't yet fit to govern.

Until yesterday, Dion had been demanding that the government end Canada's current combat role in Kandahar by February 2009. Now, like Harper, the Liberals say Canadian troops should remain there until 2011.

What exactly would these soldiers do? Until yesterday, Dion had been demanding that Canadian troops – whether in Kandahar or elsewhere – remove themselves from combat and let someone else do the dying.

"It is the rotation process," he said earlier this week, a reference to the not unreasonable idea that every NATO country should bear its fair share of casualties.

Now, the Liberals say Canadian troops should "continue in a military presence in Kandahar ... in a manner fully consistent with the UN mandate on Afghanistan." They say that would involve training the Afghan army (which is what Canadian troops are already doing) and "providing security for reconstruction and development efforts in Kandahar."

Nowhere in the new Liberal motion is there a specific call for an end to the combat mission. Dion says the Liberals want to end the fighting role, but their motion does not.

Indeed, it would be difficult for Canadian troops to do what the Liberals want them to do – in Kandahar at least – and avoid combat. How can Canadian troops train Afghan forces without accompanying them to the battlefield? How would they provide security in the Taliban heartland and avoid combat?

Some Liberals have said their motion means Canadian troops will no longer go on so-called search-and-destroy missions. But is that true? At a press conference yesterday, Dion was asked specifically if he was demanding that the government follow the lead of other NATO allies such as Germany and apply formal conditions, or caveats, that keep Canadian troops out of military offensives. The Liberal leader's answer was a clear no.

"We are not speaking of caveats," he said. "We will not micromanage the military."

Which is the Conservative position.

That the Liberals eventually caved on Kandahar is understandable. A Liberal government put Canadian troops into that province. Until public opinion began to shift, most Liberals – including Dion – were staunch defenders of the combat role. Foreign affairs critic Bob Rae and deputy leader Michael Ignatieff, the two pretenders to the Liberal crown, still are.

By signing on to Harper's policy under the guise of statesmanship, the Liberals are hoping they will so confuse the public that no one will notice that they have capitulated.

I suspect they are wrong. Canadians may be split over the war itself. But voters are rightly suspicious of leaders who vacillate and political parties that seem all over the map. Those who don't support the Afghan war will find little solace in Dion's reconversion. Those who do may prefer to vote for the party that has at least been consistent. And those who don't care about Afghanistan may find it unnerving that would-be prime minister Dion is so easy to push around.

New Liberal voting tactic - stage a walkout

Looks like the Liberals have devised a new strategy to deal with votes in the House they don't like... instead of sitting on their hands, or making an actual decision on an issue and voting accordingly, (like, you know, what we elected them to Ottawa to do ON OUR BEHALF) they've decided, instead, to simply get up and walk out of the House.

Instead of showing their support for the final passage of the crime bills, (which initially they supported in the House) they just walked away from their responsiblities, showed their utter contempt for the House, and walked out when the vote was called.

That's right folks, it's not just for immature high school protests anymore! The "Walkout" has officially hit prime time!

Ammm... I'll ask the question again... these guys actually want us to let them govern this country after pulling a stunt like this? Instead of making a decision and then facing the music, they just ran away!

Hang on, I think you guys got your votes mixed up... this wasn't the vote on the Afghan mission, so there's no need for you to cut and run!

I'm Like Ike

Try the quiz for yourself.

h/t to "Teddy Roosevelt" Meatriarchy

Kate & "The Tattoo"

While taking shots at Warren may be considered "sporting" to many in the BT realm, I can't say I'm a fan of the latest stunt. 

Posted this in the comments at SDA:

"Sorry Kate & crew, but I'm not a fan of the "gag"... while the temptation to take a shot at Warren may have been strong, I think this one crossed the line, and was a temptation you should have resisted.

Using the suffering of the Holocaust to take a cheap shot at Kinsella wasn't cool... at least not in my books."

And sent a comment to Warren on this one... which he's welcome to post...

"I've stayed out of this whole firestorm that's been brewing in the blogosphere... until now.

The fake tattoo?  Not funny.  A rather juvenile attempt to get a laugh, if you ask me... making a mockery of such death and destruction, just to take a cheap shot at you Warren, well, that's not cool in my books.

It would be really nice if the level of debate on this issue could be raised a few notches.  It's a serious set of issues, and serious action needs to be taken by serious people who can actually do something.  Scrapping the Commissions isn't the answer, but neither is leaving things as they are, because they're a mess.  Ezra has a point in that he should not be facing this tribunal, however, it's been dealt with by his supporters in a completely unacceptable fashion.  It's time to offer REAL solutions, not partisan rhetoric.

Christian Conservative"

Morgentaler, Order of Canada? NO WAY!!!

The Globe & Mail is asking the question... "Should Dr. Henry Morgentaler be awarded the Order of Canada?"

For the love of all things decent and human, make sure this butcher doesn't get the votes to support this insane idea... PLEASE VOTE NO.

UPDATE: Glad to see Canadians are pretty much united on this issue...

March Election March?

Shall we march door-to-door in March?  Only Mr. Dion can tell us.

Just want to comment on this move... I think it's a good play, at least strategically.  Think about it... we're about to bring forward a Budget, and it will be a nice, no-boat-rocking, and somewhat positive Budget.  Not full of goodies, but one that will be hard for the Liberals to justify shooting down.  They'll be forced to either kill it (which they won't), or swallow and support it, or simply sit on their hands again.

Then, follow it up with the Afghan vote... force Dion to put his money where his mouth is.  Personally, I say the Afghan vote is the PERFECT election issue... it will give us a chance to FINALLY talk about what this mission is really about.  It's about freedom... not just freedom in Canada and the West from terrorism, but about freedom for the downtrodden in Afghanistan.  Where women are openly repressed, and where differing points of view are dismissed, and could cost you your very life.

It's a noble mission, and I think if Canadians are faced with the facts, the REAL FACTS, they'll support it.

If we just tell the people like it is, we'll have nothing to worry about... whatsoever.

Quoted in today's Globe & Mail

The Globe's Murray Campbell chose today to quote me from my post last week about my status as a delegate for the upcoming Ontario PC Convention in London. It's behind a subscriber firewall, and it's just one quick quote anyway, which was addressed to Mr. Tory... "Do us all a favour, please step down."

Here's what Campbell said...

"Mr. Tory, who has lots of other things he could do with his life, might also be swayed if he heard enough voices like blogger "Christian Conservative" who pleaded: "Do us all a favour, please step down." He could win but still lose."

That last line is the money quote from the article... while Mr. Tory might win the Leadership Review vote, he, and all of us with him, would still end up losing in the end.

Today's article is about the potential for the formation of a Reform Party of Ontario... so having read it and been quoted in it, I think I should comment. For the record, I don't support the formation of a new party... the 1993 Federal Election should serve as a warning to all of us about that sort of strategy.

Having said that, let me be clear... I am NOT advocating that we stop our efforts to get a true conservative leader for our Party here in Ontario. What I will say is that article ought to serve as a warning to all those who are considering voting NO for a Leadership review. I've had a few negative comments directed at me from those who support Tory, basically saying that people like myself, who want to replace Tory, ought to leave the Party and take our "neo-con views" with us.

I'll repeat the warning that I've given to all of them... if we leave, McGuinty is Premier for a good long while. So, you can either get on board and support a Leadership review, or watch as one of your biggest voting blocs simply sits on their hands.

If the YES vote fails, the Party is finished for the foreseeable future... and that's simply a fact of life.

UPDATE: Here it is, in black and white...

100,000 Visits... WOW!

Just a short 20 minutes ago, this wee little blog received its 100,000th visitor since May 2005... from one of my many fans in Ottawa, it would seem.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to making this site fun and thought provoking.  Believe it or not, everyone who's participated here has in one fashion or another helped to form my opinions on a wide variety of issues.  Some of you have even helped me nuance or change my views somewhat.

Others... well, you've just helped re-enforce and solidify my views!

What's in store for the future?  Who knows... life just gets busier and busier.  Work, part-time work for my new business, involvement with my church, and various political engagements.  If the writ drops soon, I'll have even less time, so we'll just have to see.

Thanks again!