Owner: liberal catnip URL:http://liberalcatnip.blogspot.com Join Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2007 01:25:08 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Musings from a Canadian liberal woman on the state of Canadian and US politics. Site statistics:Click here
Bombshell: Did Cheney's Office Leak the Khadr Video? 2008-03-04 03:02:00 That's what Omar Khadr's defence lawyers want to know.According to the Globe & Mail:Lieutenant Commander Bill Kuebler said he is trying to find out how a highly secret video showing Mr. Khadr in Afghanistan was leaked to the U.S. news program 60 Minutes. The video appears to show Mr. Khadr building a bomb.The news program aired the footage last November.Lt.-Cmdr Kuebler, Mr. Khadr's top U.S. military lawyer, said he met with Colonel Morris Davis, the previous top prosecutor of military commissions – the body that is expected to try Mr. Khadr in Guantanamo Bay later this year – last week.At the meeting, Lt.-Cmdr. Kuebler asked the Colonel where he thought the leak may have come from. In response, Lt. Cmdr. Kuebler said, Col. Davis offered the opinion that the Vice-President's office ma Read more:Bombshell
, Cheney
Alberta Election Results: A Predicted PC Majority Government 2008-03-03 21:21:00 That prediction was made by Global News at 8:21 pm and not 10 minutes later, Stelmach made his victory thank you speech from his campaign headquarters. There is something fundamentally wrong with an electorate that absolutely refuses to attempt to change the political situation in this province, where we've been held hostage by these Conservatives for what seems like (and practically is) forever.Now it's just a matter of watching for the gains and losses. I'll post the final numbers when they're up.Local coverage:CTV CalgaryCBC CalgaryQR 77 RadioGlobal CalgaryCalgary HeraldCalgary SunUpdate:Wow. Political scientist Keith Brownsey just had an angry fit on CFCN asking what CTV was thinking predicting a majority Conservative government when only a few votes were in from a handful of ridings. Read more:Alberta
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Alberta Votes 2008-03-03 16:02:00 It's election day here and I'll be posting the results (in a separate thread) as they come in this evening. I haven't made it out to vote yet. Just got home from the dentist's office (where she did a fabulous job!) and I'm waiting for the freezing to wear off. (If you need a referral to a good dentist in north Calgary, let me know by e-mail.)Anyway, polls say there are ~45% undecided voters here and many Cons are not all that impressed by Fast Eddie Stelmach, so this could be interesting. Disgruntled Cons will likely just stay home instead of switching parties and our turnout is so low to begin with that there could be a shift in Alberta
's political scene as a result. It may not be enough to take the majority from the Conservatives, but any gains made by the left-leaning parties is a net Read more:Votes
Quote du Jour: Memo to Obama - Canadian Soldiers are Fighting and Dying in Afghanistan 2008-03-02 14:26:00 Barack Obama
via the Times Online:“You can’t have a situation where the United States and Britain are called on to do the dirty work and nobody else wants to engage in actual fire-fights with the Taliban.”Apparently, Canadian
soldiers don't count for anything.The fact that 79 of our soldiers have died in that useless war - the latest one just this weekend - means absolutely nothing to Senator Obama. They are invisible.This, coming from a politician who didn't even attend all of the Foreign Relations committee hearings on Afghanistan
....since joining Foreign Relations, Obama has missed three meetings on a "new strategy" in Afghanistan, a country he has never visited.Obama was absent from a January 31 meeting this year, and also was not present for a hearing on Sept. 21, 2006. He did Read more:Dying
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Pat Martin: Let the RCMP Investigate the Cadman Scandal First 2008-03-02 13:11:00 Using the terms "treason" and "high crimes and misdemeanors", NDP MP Pat Martin
told Craig Oliver on Sunday's Question Period that he will not introduce a motion to the ethics committee this week, as he had previously promised, to investigate the alleged $1 million bribe to now-deceased MP Chuck Cadman. Instead, Martin said that he thinks the RCMP should handle the file because any Conservatives involved in the affair who would testify before the committee would be protected by parliamentary privilege (ie. their testimony could not be used against them in a criminal prosecution). Martin left open the possibility of having the ethics committee hold hearings at a later date, following the results of the RCMP probe.On Saturday, Peter Mackay denied any knowledge of the alleged bribe."I think Read more:First
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Glorifying Prince Harry and the Afghanistan War 2008-03-01 21:20:00 Via The Independent - some sorely-needed truth:So if the Army is blinkered in its lust for action, and lied to by its government, surely the media are there to point out unpleasant truths. At this point the images of PrinceHarry
blasting away on a machine gun seem dangerously close to propaganda. While his bravery and commitment are beyond doubt, his 10-week stint in Helmand has revealed itself as a PR recruiting stunt, cooked up by the MoD and facilitated by the media's collusion.Rather than highlighting the appalling truths about the war in Helmand, the media, dazzled by the heroic ideal that Prince Harry so perfectly embodies, perpetuate the myth that this is a just war fit for heroes. The frenzy of coverage in Friday's papers (with the conspicuous exception of this newspaper) was faci Read more:Afghanistan
So now you want an election? 2008-03-01 16:02:00 The Liberals have been handed many reasons over the past few months to call for an early election, the most recent being the Cadman scandal. The TO Star reports that "Liberal MPs are openly musing about toppling Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority government". Fine. But why weren't they "openly musing" about an election when they found out that the military is handing over Afghan prisoners to people who might torture them again? Why are they leaving it to groups like Amnesty International to raise the red flag inherent in such a move? What has changed in the 4 short months since the hand overs were halted?As inviting as it may be to force the Cons into an election over the Cadman affair, investigations have yet to even begin. There is, however, much more evidence and reason to be con
Is Harper Interfering in the US Election? 2008-03-01 00:50:00 That's the question that immediately came to mind when I read this ABC News story which names Harper
's chief of staff, Ian Brodie, as the person who leaked the Obama/NAFTA story to CTV on Wednesday. Here's the money quote from that article that has denials and non-denials being flung about so carelessly now:Within the last month, a top staff member for Obama's campaign telephoned Michael Wilson, Canada's ambassador to the United States, and warned him that Obama would speak out against NAFTA, according to Canadian sources.The staff member reassured Wilson that the criticisms would only be campaign rhetoric, and should not be taken at face value.According to ABC News:Both the Canadian Embassy and the Obama campaign have repeatedly denied the CTV report.However, a source close to the Canadi Read more:Election
Updates on the Cadman Scandal 2008-02-29 19:14:00 Accusations, more denials, investigations, audio-taped interviews, non-confidence motion speculation, bullying, ethical lapses, holier-than-thou pronouncements, proclamations of "nothing to see here, folks" - and that's just what's happened since the story about Dona Cadman's allegations of bribery to the tune of $1 million in the form of an insurance policy for her dying husband Chuck were made on Wednesday.It's all been rather fast and furious and there's still much more to come.- On Friday, Chuck Cadman's daughter Jodi backed up her mother's assertions when she was interviewed by CBC News: story and video here (Watch the other interview videos as well.)- The Globe & Mail reports rumours of possible non-confidence motions to bring the government down over the scandal - as early as n Read more:Scandal
Quote du Jour: The "Jihad" Against Brian Mulroney 2008-02-28 18:03:00 Apparently, radical Islamofascists are after Brian
Mulroney.Via the CBC:Earlier in the day, Mulroney's spokesman, Robin Sears, urged the Commons ethics committee to quickly end its "partisan" probe into the former prime minister's business affairs, suggesting it was part of a "15-year jihad" against him."This has been like a 15-year jihad against Mulroney and his family by his enemies — led by Mr. Schreiber and enabled by some in the media," Sears told CBC News."It is time to bring this to a close. There really is no case left to answer."Right. You wish.Anyway, apparently the ethics committee members, Karlheinz Schreiber, the Canadian media and anyone who has ever criticized Mulroney are all radical Muslim, jihad-issuing clerics. Who knew? Read more:Jihad
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Chuck Cadman's Widow Alleges $1 Million Bribe 2008-02-28 14:12:00 The widow of Chuck
Cadman has alleged that Conservative party officials attempted to bribe her husband to the tune of $1 million to stop him from propping up the Martin government in 2005.During question period today, Harper said he'd looked into this himself and decided there was "absolutely no truth in it". This obviously begs the question: Why would Harper take it upon himself to investigate such a serious charge? In politics appearances are everything and if Harper had any political sense, he would have turned this matter over to the appropriate officials right off the bat. Instead, he chose to cover it up and now the Conservatives are accusing Cadman's widow, a member and candidate of their party, of lying. The denials were flying fast and furious during Thursday's questions and, as Read more:Bribe
Canadian Embassy Officials Contradict Each Other on Obama/NAFTA Story 2008-02-28 13:17:00 As I wrote here last nite, CTV news reported that an Obama
staffer contacted Michael Wilson, the US ambassador to Canada, to reassure him about Obama's NAFTA "campaign rhetoric".Now we have two conflicting accounts of what happened from two different embassy officials.Via Politico:Canadian
s deny Obama callA spokesman for the Canadian Embassy
to the United States, Tristan Landry, flatly denied the CTV report that a senior Obama aide had told the Canadian ambassador not to take seriously Obama's denunciations of Nafta."None of the presidential campaigns have called either the Ambassador or any of the officials here to raise Nafta," Landry said.He said there had been no conversations at all on the subject."We didn't make any calls, they didn't call us," Landry said."There is no story as far
NAFTA: What the Obama Campaign Secretly Told Canada's Government 2008-02-28 00:11:00 CTV News reveals that an Obama
staffer was secretly in touch with Canada
's ambassador to the US with a heads up about Obama's public stance on the NAFTA agreement, stating it was just "campaign rhetoric, and should not be taken at face value".Within the last month, a top staff member for Obama's campaign telephoned Michael Wilson, Canada's ambassador to the United States, and warned him that Obama would speak out against NAFTA, according to Canadian sources.What Obama's staffer told Wilson flies in the face of what Obama said during Tuesday nite's Democratic debate in Ohio, where NAFTA fallout has seriously affected the economy.During Tuesday nite's Democratic debate, Barack Obama said this about NAFTA: MR. RUSSERT: Senator Obama, you did in 2004 talk to farmers and suggest that NAFTA ha Read more:Campaign
, Government
Quotes du Jour: Flaherty v Dion on the Budget 2008-02-27 19:34:00 Yes, that's right. Today you get 2 quotes for the price of one because they're both incredibly boneheaded on the same subject: Budget 2008.First up, Mr Stingy:“Sir John A. Macdonald used to say ‘look a little ahead my friends.' And if we look a little bit ahead, we see how morally deficient it is for us to live high on the hog now and pass our debt on to the next generation,” Mr. Flaherty
told a breakfast audience in Toronto.I suppose you might to have to go back to Sir John A's time to find a period when Conservatives weren't spending like drunken sailors while the Liberals had to bail them out and sober them up later.And then there's Stephane:'We'll find a way to not defeat the government'I've misplaced my Dion to catnip translator but what immediately comes to mind is "I'll get Read more:Quotes
Failing Afghanistan's Children 2008-02-27 14:53:00 While Peter MacKay and Bev Oda are busy telling happy war stories in committee today, what they will predictably leave out are real indicators of the failed efforts over the past 6 years in Afghanistan
.As IRIN notes, the focus on military expenditures is basically handing poor, young Afghan men and children to the Taliban:"In our district many young guys join Taliban ranks for pocket money, a mobile phone or other financial incentives," said Safiullah, a resident of Sangeen District in Helmand.They don't want much, yet they are being deprived by the mishandling of foreign aid and so-called development funds. And they are willing to risk their very lives to get what they need.High levels of rural poverty or unemployment are probably helping to drive young people like Malik to join the Tali Read more:Children
Mr Stingy's Budget 2008-02-26 23:44:00 "Stingy". That's the word being used by the Globe & Mail."Modest" and "one mile wide and one inch deep". That was Stephane Dion's assessment. Apparently, long and shallow doesn't bother Dion one bit since he's said the Liberals will support it. The NDP and the BQ will oppose it, as expected.So, how do we explain that the Conservatives seem to have been itching for an election the last few months, making confidence motions left and right, yet have proposed a budget without a poison pill - as the pundits call the one divisive issue that might push the Liberals to oppose it? (The National Post's Don Martin described the budget as a "sleeping pill" and "an uninspiring cure for insomnia" instead.)Perhaps the Conservatives have realized, finally, that their poll numbers have barely moved i
Mulroney Refuses to Testify Again 2008-02-26 23:19:00 Okay, first of all, Brian Mulroney has a website? Who knew?Here's what's posted there tonite:Guy Pratte today wrote to the House of Commons Ethics Committee Clerk declining Paul Szabo’s request for Mr. Mulroney to appear on Thursday, February 28, 2008.A detailed response will be sent to Mr. Szabo on Wednesday, February 27, 2008.Mr. Pratte and Robin Sears will be available for media inquires on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at the National Press Theatre, 10am EST.Hmmm...I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that neither Allan MacEachen nor Elmer MacKay backed up Mulroney's lies. Read more:Again
, Refuses
Conservatives Behaving Badly: The Afghanistan Debate 2008-02-26 10:32:00 From Monday's Hansard, our so-called "honourable" minister of Veterans Affairs:Hon. Greg Thompson: Missing in action, Mr. Speaker, hiding under the furniture. The member from Sackville is always on his hind legs in here ranting about what he would do, I guess, but his record speaks for itself. Those members have done absolutely nothing. For them to suggest that we are doing nothing is just fundamentally wrong, because we were asking for their support on the floor of the House of Commons in a minority Parliament. We were asking for their support to make this happen and they denied us that support. They voted against our veterans. An hon. member: They scurried out.Hon. Greg Thompson: They did scurry out, Mr. Speaker, and they will continue to do that because they do not believe in the Read more:Afghanistan
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Quote du Jour: Flaherty as Jesus 2008-02-25 23:40:00 Via The Star: The finance department estimates that once this year’s bounty is spent, the treasury will be all but bare for the next two years with tiny surpluses of $1.4 billion and $1.3 billion, not counting the annual $3 billion set-aside for debt repayment.Flaherty
’s challenge is to the make meagre offering of loaves and fishes he has on hand appear like a banquet so that if the government falls, he can not only paint the opposition as irresponsible spenders but his budget as an investment in future good times.And it seems he's already performed one miracle:OTTAWA–The Conservative government will disclose tomorrow, when it tables its budget, that it has on hand at least $1 billion more in spending money than it had anticipated, sources have told The Canadian Press.Well, there is Read more:Jesus
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What are we doing in Afghanistan? 2008-02-25 18:48:00 If you've had the chance to listen to various Conservatives on the floor on Monday speaking to their government's motion to extend the mission until 2011, you would assume that Canada wields a tremendous amount of power over the future of that country and that, as the Veterans Affair minister, Greg Thompson, stated (vilely) that those who oppose the extension are friends of the Taliban and enemies of our Canadian troops. Yes, he even repeated the smear (in the guise of hearing it from soldiers who live in his riding) that the NDP leader, Jack Layton, has been nicknamed "Taliban Jack". Speaking not long after that, Peter MacKay backed up Thompson's insults, feigning outrage to the point where he almost needed a fainting couch and a cold compress for his forehead. MacKay continued to hurl h Read more:Afghanistan
, doing
The Afghanistan War Debate is On 2008-02-25 11:42:00 Today in parliament, the debate is on over the Conservatives' motion to extend Canada's mission in Afghanistan
until 2011. Since the Liberals are already on board, there won't be any surprises once it comes to the vote. Dion has said he'll whip it. At least the NDP and BQ are set to vote against the continuation of this madness.You can watch the debate online here or here. (There will be a break for question period).Peter MacKay finished off his fearmongering remarks today with a plea to think about the children!!. As if on cue, CBC Newsworld showed pictures of them. Quite bizarre."How will history judge us if Canada walked away from Afghanistan?", MacKay asked, speaking to his party's motion that actually sets an end date to walk away in 2011. So, just how will history judge you, Mr Mac Read more:Debate
Straight Talk on Afghanistan 2008-02-24 13:30:00 Tired of the endless talking points? Want to hear from someone who actually lives in Afghanistan
about what life is really like there?Watch Bill Moyers' interview with Sarah Chayes. Anyone who's read this blog won't find her perspective on what's happening there as being earth-shatteringly new, but Ms Chayes puts it all together very succinctly. If Canadians are going to have an honest debate about what's going on in Afghanistan, we need to face the facts and stop buying into the west's political rhetoric about what's possible in Afghanistan according to how we want to shape it. This western imposition of "freedom" and "democracy" through military means is unworkable. Read more:Straight
Quote du Jour: Hiller's Emotional Blackmail 2008-02-22 13:19:00 Via the G&M:"I'm not going to stand here and tell you that the suicide bombings of this past week have been related to the debate back here in Canada. But I also cannot stand here and say that they are not."And, certainly, there is a perception out there that the Taliban will try to take advantage of the debate back here and try to prevent a cohesive mission and will indeed attempt to attack our Canadian Forces in Kandahar."Hillier, once again sticking his nose in the politics - where it doesn't belong - while he also gets things ass backwards.Let's look at his logic: the Taliban are increasing their attacks because Canada's government is talking about pulling out in 2011 while it's also asking for more NATO troops and equipment. Now, if I were a member of the Taliban, I'd be thinking "hm Read more:Emotional
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Harper Offers Revised Afghanistan Mission Motion 2008-02-21 10:59:00 Keeping Canadian troops in Afghanistan
until 2011 is pretty much a done deal now that Harper
has revised the government's previous motion to compromise with the Liberals' position.Here's where things stand now:- the newly proposed end date for Canada's mission is July, 2011. The Conservative motion had originally stated the mission would conclude at the end of 2011 while the Liberals had suggested February, 2011 (with troops withdrawn by July, 2011). Technically, in terms of the completion of troop withdrawals from Kandahar, that is now projected to be completed by December, 2011.- "It also says the mission will focus on training and reconstruction, as the Liberals have demanded." However, avoiding combat in a place like Kandahar seems virtually impossible. During Harper's press conferenc Read more:Mission
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Afghanistan: Canada Loses its 80th Soldier; 2 Others Wounded 2008-03-12 02:26:00 CBC News reports that a Canadian soldier was found dead at a base on Tuesday:A 22-year-old Canadian soldier was found dead in Afghanistan
on Tuesday, but a top military commander said the death was not related to combat.Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche told reporters that Bombardier Jérémie Ouellet was found at 2:15 p.m. local time in the sleeping quarters at Kandahar airfield, the main NATO military base in southern Afghanistan.Laroche said the Canadian military is investigating the circumstances surrounding Ouellet's death. He said more details would be provided once the investigation is complete.May he rest in peace.And this just in via the AP:KANDAHAR, Afghanistan–A suicide car bomber blew himself up next to a convoy of Canadian troops Wednesday in the southern Afghan city Kandahar, killing Read more:Canada
, Others
CENTCOM's Commander Resigns 2008-03-11 15:15:00 Statement by Admiral William Fallon:Recent press reports suggesting a disconnect between my views and the President’s policy objectives have become a distraction at a critical time and hamper efforts in the CENTCOM
region,” Fallon said in a written statement. “And although I don’t believe there have ever been any differences about the objectives of our policy in the Central Command Area of Responsibility, the simple perception that there is makes it difficult for me to effectively serve America’s interests there.” Fallon’s statement read. “I have therefore concluded that it would be best to step aside and allow the Secretary and our military leaders to move beyond this distraction… and focus on the achievement of our strategic objectives in the region. I have submitted Read more:Commander
The Afghanistan War: When will the lies end? 2008-03-11 13:29:00 Peter Van Loan in the house on Tuesday answering an NDP question about Afghanistan
: "the security situation continues to improve".That's what the Conservatives would like Canadians to believe, even when contradicted by a NATO commander and the facts on the ground: UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Militant attacks in Afghanistan increased dramatically last year, with civilians accounting for nearly a fifth of people killed, the U.N. secretary-general said in a new report.In a report to the U.N. Security Council made available on Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said there were an average of 566 "insurgent and terrorist" incidents per month last year compared with 425 per month in 2006."Of the over 8,000 conflict-related fatalities in 2007, over 1,500 were civilians," Ban said in the re
NAFTAgate: Harper Clears Clinton 2008-03-08 02:49:00 Via the CBC:Hillary Clinton
's campaign team has never told any Canadian officials that their candidate's anti-NAFTA statements are just political posturing, the Prime Minister's Office said Friday.In the midst of the so-called NAFTA-gate affair, the PMO clarified — two days after it was first asked a question about the matter — that Canadian officials never requested, nor received, a private briefing from Clinton's aides on her position on the continental trade treaty."The answer is no, they did not," Sandra Buckler, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Stephen Harper
, said Friday.So, can we get past this assumption that's making the rounds on the American blogosphere now that Clinton's staff talked to them? The cognitive dissonance about this story has been unbelievable, especially over
Write Your Own Caption 2008-03-08 02:18:00 Stealing a line from Bush, Harper was overheard saying, "If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." Related: Almost a third of Canadians think Harper is lying over Cadman affair: poll Read more:Caption
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