Toronto Star: "Harper's Achilles heel"

[tuvor]

Afghanistan mission holds dangers for Conservatives, but could also cause collateral damage to Liberals and Bloc

With public support for the Canadian mission in Afghanistan plummeting, the question probably is no longer if, but when, one or more of the opposition parties turns on the initiative.

At the rate the debate is going, all-party support for the mission could well disintegrate by the end of the summer or, at the latest, by the end of the year, with the Conservatives left standing alone behind the initiative.

In the midst of recent government attempts to low-bridge the casualties from Afghanistan, opposition to the mission has gone up 13 points in six weeks. According to a Strategic Counsel poll published by The Globe and Mail last weekend, a clear majority of Canadians now oppose it.

The drop is bad news for the government. The mission is emerging as Stephen Harper's Achilles heel, especially in Quebec, where support for a more robust military role for Canadian forces has always been the softest.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1147173136352&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795

[MrPrax]

1. Strange spin...

"Afghanistan mission holds dangers for Conservatives, but could also cause collateral damage to Liberals and Bloc"

"At the rate the debate is going, all-party support for the mission could well disintegrate by the end of the summer or,

THEN:
"But with the NDP leading the charge, every opposition party also had questions for the government."

Leading the charge to...ask questions?

Not actually take the same position of 52% of the public that wants the troops out, but to continue to ask questions, they never bothered to ask when it was a Martin-Bush imperialist war, but now is 'leading the charge' to ask questions of the Harper-Bush imperialist war...

Yes Chantel...there will be MORE than enough collaterial damage to go around if the NDP HONESTLY thinks that getting their picture taken with Cindy Sheehan over the weekend is really going to fool anyone thinking they aren't warmongers and part of the problem, not the solution.

[Spazito]

2. This is THE issue the NDP should be hammering, imo

They should have been hammering it from the point in time when the mission was changed from peacekeeping under the UN to a combat mission under the control of the US and I don't understand why they are, at best, asking very weak, soft-ball questions on it.

[MrPrax]

3. Because they support the war...

It's called Occam's Razor...the biggest fear the NDP/Liberals have is the 'anti-war' movement calling them on it...

So that's why I assume most of the fake 'front' anti-war groups in Canada like ceasefire.ca have also changed their mantra.

Check out the progressive radical ceasefire's tough talkin letter writing campaign at their Action Centre

BUT BUT whatever you do--DON'T hassle the Liberals leadership candidates or 29 NDPers until the Politburo gives us the sign, comrade.

We little people can't always see the big picture like they can...and counter-revolutionaries might start spreading shit like the NDP supports Bush's wars or the Tories are following the same fuckin' policies of the Liberals from 5 months ago. There might not appear to be change, but indeed, our minions are working in the background.

I am sure that the intellectuals of the People have already forseen the potential for IF the US attacks Iran and our 'increased troop committments' are moved to the Iranian border to help out, then that will be the Glorious Day.

That will be the point that the mighty forces of the Left will rise up and defeat the Imperialists and their war plans!!!

You are too impatient and tied up with the small details of bourgeois democracy, comrade.