Apolitical Staples

This is the bed the Liberals made for themselves on the weekend.

Actually, it is the bed that Wells has made for himself as he has trully taken a liking to the NDP in the past two years. ;-)

Scott???? WTF? Why would you say that Wells has taken a liking to the NDP? My sense is that he has been suggesting the uniting of the left and/or stealing of “power” (votes) from the Liberals by the NDP, which is strategic advice vs wishful thinking. If Talijack had half a brain, there wouldn’t be much of a convention in December.

Luckily for right-thinking and/or -leaning people, talijack believes his own PR and wouldn’t recognize an opportunity (or good advice) if it gave him a tragic, incurable disease.

Greg - excellent connection of ideas.

I think Candace is right. The NDP had an opportunity to position themselves as the real opposition in the last election and never did so. The Liberals were on the ropes everyone agreed they needed time to rebuild and Jack got up to the plate and bunted for a single. I guess NDP types find that being competitive like that is just too corporate/freemarket and they would rather simply be appointed to oversee us.

Wells mentioned that his GF is involved with the NDP in some way but he is definitely one person who would never let that colour his commentary, as it were.

It may be that he finds the pro-american/bush-crony card tiresome — which it is — and is hopeful that Iggy winning, assuming he does, will mean a more substantive debate about Cdn issues than we were otherwise unlikely to get. The Liberal base will have to reconsider their ill-thought opposition to Afghanistan or shut the hell up clearing the way for debates about Quebec, Taxes, Equalization, etc, etc. No more cheap ani-USA sloganeering for the gallery.

I think Wells has hit it on the head, but only if you believe that: - Iggy will be the next Liberal poohbah; and - Iggy’s views will form the basis of Liberal policy.

It’s the second point that is uncertain. Me, I believe Iggy’s (very experienced) handlers will shape policy to be dead-centre (the old “campaign from the left, govern from the right” style), and not leave the NDP much room on the slightly left of centre side unless Jack wants to go whistling past Elizabeth May and company.

Since Iggy knows practically nothing about exercising levers of power in Canada, I don’t believe anything he says now should be taken as writ, because it’s really his handlers who have the policies in their back pocket. And that is not much different than the old Chretien doctrine.

Anyway (shameless plug), drop over to:

http://www.thistechnology.com/neville

to see what you can do to speed Taliban Jack on his way to Afghanistan, or Pakistan, or wherever … just so that it’s out of Canada!

Gosh Eric, that’s positively teenaged of you. I guess the cialis is working eh? I guess you have overlooked all the news stories where the British Army and Bill Frist (R) are agreeing with Jack. Oh well, I digress…

I will be the contrarian here ans say the Libs have not yet made any bed to lie in. 30% to 20%, 16% and 16% does not make Iggy a done deal. As we discussed on the Hotstove, the guy who is currently the Liberal Premier of Ontario was 4th after the first ballot a few years ago (Ironically, Gerard Kennedy was #1). Indeed there are enough twists and turns in this that we will not likely know the real leader until December 4, 2006. It might even be Gerard Kennedy….

“The Liberal base will have to reconsider their ill-thought opposition to Afghanistan”

Along with the 59% of the Canadian population that now also oppose Afghanistan mission?

Look I still support the mission, but THAT sould like someone who is believing their own press releases, not the Liberals. Every poll for the last 3 months show that those of us who support the mission are in the minority, not the majority, and our numbers are steadily eroding. I am willing to face that and try to do something about it (like ask the questions I did on my blog) but to deny it is just silly. Right now the opposition is on the right side of this as far as the Canadian public is concerned.

not exactly agreeing with Jack. here’s Frist’s spokesperson

“While touring Afghanistan, Senator Frist made the observation that Afghan tribesman should be brought into the government or risk losing them to the Taliban. Giving the native tribes often targeted by Taliban recruitment a voice in the government will promote peace and prosperity in the region. Senator Frist does not believe Taliban fighters – often foreign fighters who come to Afghanistan to further conflict – should be brought into the reconciliation process. In order to undermine the influence of the Taliban in Afghan society, Senator Frist believes there needs to be a multi-pronged approach to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. Military efforts must continue in earnest to capture and kill the leadership of the Taliban and al-Qa’ida, who continue to pose a grave threat to Afghanistan and the world.”

Frist has since said that press release was mistaken or something to that effect. He takes it all back.