McCallum's Ridiculousness

The Liberals have fallen hard haven't they?

Just when you think they can't make your head shake any harder, they come up with something more. At this rate, I'm going to end up with a seizure.

The latest bizarre comment fluttering out of the mouths of its leaders is from defense critic (and former Minster of Defense 2002-03) John McCallum:

I think the bigger weight is bread-and-butter issues, jobs and getting your children to school and all of those things. But I also think Canadians do care about democracy and about the high-handed, undemocratic attitude and actions of this government, and I think proroguing adds to the total character picture of Mr. Harper, and the fact that they may have been committing war crimes, handing over detainees knowing that they were very likely to be tortured, that is a war crime. And the fact that they’re covering it up, I think many Canadians do care about those things as well as caring about economic issues.

First, let it be said the government should indeed clear the air and have an inquiry into all this. Harper can take the high road. Then again, his proroguing Parliament could be interpreted as a way to protect the military. And what's he "covering up" exactly? 

In any event, at this point, it's beyond a conservative vs. liberal thing.Were prisoners in fact tortured and did the Canadian government and military know this and when? He said, she said, you started is a farcical pointless game.

It should be noted, that between 2003 and 2005 (when Bill Graham was Defence Minister), diplomats were warning about Afghan authorities possibly torturing prisoners. This was under Liberal leadership. It was they who A) without Parliamentary debates sent our troops to Afghanistan and it was they who B) negotiated the transfer of prisoners to Afghan authorities.

And they're going to sit there with a straight face and attack the Harper government for something that began under their watch? Has anyone caught a double-standard when it comes to Obama and Harper? Obama is said to have "inherited a mess." Meanwhile, Harper "inherited" the Afghanistan file but pundits speak as if he created it.

All this being said, enough with the games. Harper should take the high road here. Call a public inquiry about the matter. Forget partisanship and let's make the right decision. Were detainees being tortured and did we willing hand them over knowing this?

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There is an irony in all this. The leader of the Liberal party of Canada is Michael Ignatieff. While in the United States, he wrote The Lesser Evil - a book about the moral hazards that confronts democracies in a terrorist age. In it, he explores and even defends the use of torture arguin that democracies (and civilized societies) are capable of fighting terrorism on such grounds temporarily and quickly reverting back to our high moral and legal standards. He recognizes it's a dangerous slope but believed democracies were up to the task.

To be honest, I liked the book and held pretty much that view.

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It could be worse for Canada...I suppose. Mexico is witnessing unspeakable barbarity.