Rick Hillier, premier of Newfoundland and Labrador?
Perhaps it's not so far-fetched. A persistent rumour in Ottawa this spring has the popular general taking up politics after he hangs up his uniform.
"I think people in the ranks understand that Hillier is awfully political. I hear people tell me he talks about running for premier of Newfoundland," said Senator Colin Kenny, who chairs the Senate committee on national security and defence.
It might not be such a big leap, say military observers, who argue that Hillier has dabbled in politics from the very moment he set his sights on the military's top job as chief of defence staff.
But he must wonder these days if a political life wouldn't be easier than the day job he holds now. In recent months, Hillier, the military's most outspoken ambassador in years, has found that life isn't easy under Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government.
The "energy" from the days when Hillier was appointed to the post in 2005 by then-prime minister Paul Martin "seems long gone," said Douglas Bland, chair of defence management studies at Queen's University.
"They were really simpler, if not naive days compared to what's been happening," he said.
"I think Rick Hillier is tired. I think he is working himself ragged ... and taking on his back all kind of difficulties."
Those "difficulties" were laid bare on May 30 when Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor publicly fingered Hillier and his bureaucrats for the foul-up that left at least one family out of pocket for funeral expenses for their son, who had been killed in Afghanistan.
Despite a military spending spree that is invigorating the department with new equipment and new troops, Hillier is finding all that comes at a cost – a Prime Minister who is front and centre on the defence file and a former general serving as defence minister who makes ill-considered comments.
But the problems run deeper for Hillier. More and more, the Prime Minister's Office is interfering with the department's communications strategy around the Afghanistan mission. Hillier's ambitious shake-up of the military organization has ruffled feathers and fuelled internal dissension.
The high cost of the Afghan conflict is forcing the defence department to delay other projects – like the planned purchase of new search-and-rescue planes.
And Hillier's bold plan to develop an amphibious unit that can quickly deploy to global hotspots has been put on hold.
Hillier's office has refused the Star's requests for an interview, despite requests dating to last November. His spokesperson says he has a backlog of interview requests.
Defence experts describe ongoing tensions in government about the military's budget woes, the strategy in Afghanistan and the long-delayed, oft-promised plan setting out the future direction of the armed forces.
"The entire machinery of government is convulsed over how to handle the war ... There's tension in the system," Bland said.
For a time this spring, there was open speculation that Hillier – appointed chief of the defence staff in February 2005 – would either quit or be dumped. That talk has died down but troubles remain between Hillier, Harper, O'Connor and Kevin Lynch, the clerk of the Privy Council, Ottawa's most powerful bureaucrat. The defence department has reportedly been unable to sell Lynch on the defence capability plan, a road map meant to lay out long-term spending priorities [emphasis added].
Kenny says Hillier deserves full marks for improving morale among the frontline troops, noting: "He's been very popular in terms of giving them self-respect. But he's got huge challenges in terms of managing the forces."..
...there's no doubt that the war – and the fallout at home – is proving costly for both Harper and Hillier, said historian Jack Granatstein.
"It's Mr. Hillier's war," Granatstein said. "He was the one who persuaded the Liberals to go into it. He's been the major spokesperson for it. Whether he's having any impact on the public, no matter how well he speaks, I think is highly doubtful. The poll numbers are dropping dramatically for his war."
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