Dion blasts Harper's foreign policy 'blunders'

[vonGarvin]

From http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/09/20/dion-foreignpolicy.html
"Stéphane Dion is blasting the Conservative government's foreign policy as mediocre, rigid, simplistic, amateurish, ineffective and incompetent."
(MRP notes: I think Dion was talking about his own version of party leadership)
"Dion was most critical of the Tory government's handling of Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan, calling it "the most appalling example among a series of foreign policy blunders."
(MRP notes: I think that M. Dion has ignored virtually every international figure, from H. Karzai to Bill Clinton who have uniformily praised Canada's efforts in southern Afghanistan)
"Among other things, he said a Liberal government would champion global efforts to combat climate change and promote human rights. It would also seek a worldwide ban on cluster bombs, in the same way that Canada led the charge to ban landmines under Jean Chrétien's Liberal regime."
(MRP notes: wow, where do I begin on this?  I suppose that M. Dion has ignored his own party's, nay, his own PORTFOLIO's performance under a "Liberal Kyoto" land of rainbows and magical fairies.  I wonder what or how M. Dion will "promote human rights" in places where bad men would use (gasp) VIOLENCE to oppress others' rights?  Such as in Afghanistan?  Oh, I know how he'll do it: he'll ban CLUSTER BOMBS, when he hasn't a clue what a cluster bomb is, though I'm pretty sure he knows what a cluster fuck is, because all he has to do is look in the mirror to see that)

MORE OF THIS ODD STORY ON CBC.CA

 

[vonGarvin]

I had to add this:
"It's always worrisome when a politician constantly flip-flops, but when peoples' lives are at stake, it's inexcusable."

Stephane Dion's just losing it.  Is he talking about Paul Martin, himself or Stephen Harper? 

 

[Edward Campbell]

It's a bit much, even for Dion, to accuse Harper of rigidity and flip-flops; sorta like that old adage about the principle of war: "flexibility, a principle upon which we will never bend."

 

[GAP]

Well, if the above is Dion's example of change because of the losses after the byelection defeats....he's got a long road ahead of himself...

It also looks as if the CBC is in wonderment mode......."their" Liberal leader is making himself heard.....we must report everything

'I've never put myself on the line': Dion vows change after byelection defeats
Last Updated: Thursday, September 20, 2007 | 12:05 PM ET CBC News
Article Link

Federal Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion has taken the blame for his party's defeats in three Quebec byelections, saying, "A leader has to put himself out there and I didn't do it."

Dion said he's the first person who should be held responsible for the Liberals' nosedive in the federal byelections on Monday night, which saw the party lose its traditional Montreal stronghold riding in Outremont while earning single-digit support in the Saguenay and Saint-Hyacinthe ridings.

"I'm taking the responsibility," Dion told the CBC's French-language television program Téléjournal Wednesday night.

"I've always focused on the stakes … but I've never put myself on the line and I understand now that a leader must do that.… A leader has to put himself out there and I didn't do it," he told Radio-Canada host Céline Galipeau during a candid interview in French.
More on link

 

[RangerRay]

Oh good grief!

What a collection of exaggeration, half-truths, and outright lies!

What a frakking wanker!  :rage:

 

[Mike Baker]

Oh gee, where do we start on this one? I have to agree with Rockpainter, Dion is loosing it.

 

[retiredgrunt45]

I had a good chuckle at his expense.  ;D

 

[Reccesoldier]

I watched the piece on CBC.  You could practically see Dion's lower lip quiver as he whined his way through the CBC propaganda piece/interview.  I'm sure he had to restrain himself from using his favorite refrain It's not FAIR!!!

 

[Delicron]

It seems to me that moral fortitude is severely lacking in the Dion camp.  Things that are important to Canada (namely the things he says the Liberal party espouses) cannot be had by simply hiding within our own country.  Granted, following the Americans in everything they do is not a good idea, but we have shown that we don't necessarily do that by not following them to Iraq.  Afganistan is an important mission, and I believe Dion's denigration of it just worsens the public perception of a vital mission.  I certainly hope Canada does not ever elect someone as weak minded as Stephane Dion.

 

[MarkOttawa]

See:

ISAF is indeed a UN mission...
http://www.damianpenny.com/archived/010083.html

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Boxkicker]

  So would it be considered mutiny if we all turned in out ID Cards if Dion or (shudder) Layton were to get elected.

 

[TCBF]

  So would it be considered mutiny if we all turned in out ID Cards if Dion or (shudder) Layton were to get elected.

- Yes.

- We live in a country where the government controls the military, not vice versa.  We should be proud of that.

- Any individual member can choose his or her own reasons for releasing.  If afterwards, they choose politics as their new life - and many have - good for them.  But we do not attempt to influence politics by the mass turn-in of identity cards by serving members.  There are good and sound laws against that sort of thing.

 

[IN HOC SIGNO]

Well I think he's in panic mode. this article is intersting on the latest polls and doesn't surprise me a bit. I think the stars are starting to align for Stephen Harper and Dion doesn't know how to fight the trend. I think he'll be toast if he votes against the throne speech next week...but what's he to do??

Poll: Grits sagging behind Conservatives


By The Canadian Press


OTTAWA — Three weeks of internal Liberal cockfighting came home to roost Tuesday with a new poll suggesting the federal party trails the governing Conservatives by seven percentage points.

The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey put support for Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s governing Tories at 35 per cent — still well short of majority government territory and below what the Conservatives earned on election day in 2006.

The Liberals, meanwhile slumped to 28 per cent nationally in the wake of three dispiriting byelection losses in Quebec last month.

And it is in Quebec where the Liberal sky is truly falling.

The poll of just more than 1,000 Canadians last Thursday through Sunday put national support for the NDP at 17 per cent, the Green party at 10 per cent and the Bloc Quebecois at eight per cent.

But in Quebec, the Liberals were mired among the NDP and Green also-rans.

Some 35 per cent of Quebecers backed the Bloc, followed by the Conservatives at 26 per cent. The Liberals trailed with 14 per cent, the Greens were at 12 and the New Democrats at 11.

The beleaguered Liberal leader said Tuesday that the dip was to be expected.

"It would have been surprising that three weeks of these kinds of difficulties would not have any affect on our approval ratings."

He said Quebec politics is volatile at the moment but maintained that the Liberal world view is "much closer" to that of Quebeckers — and most Canadians — than that of the Harper Conservatives.

"Polls are like tides, they come and they go," said Dion. "We are not in a good mood for now, but it will change, I’m very optimistic."

But pollster Bruce Anderson said that Quebec alone gives the Tories a clear edge as the federal parties plot for a potential fall election.

"You’d choose the Conservative hand because of what’s going on in the province of Quebec," said Anderson.

A number observers, including Anderson, have recently commented on the Conservatives’ modest public approval ratings given the roaring Canadian economy and the lack of galvanizing policy issues.

 

[TCBF]

Well I think he's in panic mode. this article is intersting on the latest polls and doesn't surprise me a bit. I think the stars are starting to align for Stephen Harper and Dion doesn't know how to fight the trend. I think he'll be toast if he votes against the throne speech next week...but what's he to do??  ...

- Mr Dion has to vote against - if he wins the following election, he beats back the wolves from his door for a year or so.  If not, he gets an honourable ("Hey, I tried...") exit. 

- Then, like Richard Nixon, he can say "They won't have (insert own name here) to kick around anymore".  Then:

- Senate seat within eight years, give or take.

 

[Boxkicker]

- Yes.

- We live in a country where the government controls the military, not vice versa.  We should be proud of that.

- Any individual member can choose his or her own reasons for releasing.  If afterwards, they choose politics as their new life - and many have - good for them.  But we do not attempt to influence politics by the mass turn-in of identity cards by serving members.  There are good and sound laws against that sort of thing.

  Unfortunately the sarcasm of my comments do not come through in a keystroke. If I can suffer through Jean Chretien I can suffer through Dion maybe.

 

[Infanteer]

Re: Dion blasts Harper's foreign policy 'blunders'

Well, "making Canada look like a complete ass" isn't on the list, so I guess we're doing alright....

 

[IN HOC SIGNO]

  Unfortunately the sarcasm of my comments do not come through in a keystroke. If I can suffer through Jean Chretien I can suffer through Dion maybe.

Hey I suffered through;
Pierre Trudeau, who finished decimating where the dynamic duo of Pearson/Hellyer left off
Joe Clark, who was thankfully not in office long enough to really have an impact on us
Pierre Trudeau again ....more decimation
Brian Mulroney...who did some good things for us in his first term including a new white paper (much of which never materialized) then started decimating in his second term...yes it was under his watch that we lost the Chinooks and Lahr etc.
Jean Chretien ..well nuff said

We truly do serve at the pleasure of our Government...for better or for worse.

 

[Flip]

We truly do serve at the pleasure of our Government...for better or for worse.

And is why the Dion has never been to Afghanistan.
They didn't think think they would ever want or need
the approval of CF members. ( or your votes )

Now.... as Denis Coderre found out, there is a new special
interest group to woo - they all seem to wear the same clothes.

I can't wait for the next, uh ...reversal.  ;D    ( I won't call it a flip-flop )
 

 

[vonGarvin]

After watching Coderre say that he was on a "fact finding mission", but that his opinion wouldn't change, I felt like writing him a letter/email to ask for his party's position on anything, and then adding a post-script saying that no matter what he said, my opinion of him wouldn't change.

 

[TCBF]

... Coderre say that he was on a "fact finding mission", but that his opinion wouldn't change ....

- Are you sure that is what he said?  If so, he has just committed long-term political suicide.  Leadership at all levels requires collating and analysing newly-found facts, and this often results in changed opinions.  One could argue that Churchill and Roosevelt knew this, Hitler did not.  If Codere aspires to lead at the national level, would it not therefore be dangerous to hand him those reins of power?  Would future advisors in External Affairs not draw the conclusion that all proposals must agree with the boss's present opinions, because he will not change his mind even when confronted with new 'facts'?

- Pretty scary, boys and girls...