Talk about giving primacy of place to the truly peripheral. I’m beginning to believe this man is educated far beyond his intelligence. Stephane Dion hereby fails one of the fundamentals of leadership: the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.
And just think: a single-digit point swing in the next election, and this man could be Canada’s next Prime Minister.
And just think: a single-digit point swing in the next election, and this man could be Canada’s next Prime Minister.
Scary, isn’t it?
The guy is a total idiot! What’s he done since he’s at the helm of the Suzukian Cult? He’s condemned Harper for the war his LIBERAL party got us into. He’s promised that, if elected, he’s going to cool the planet down, and he’s informed us that he has this smart dog that’s named Kyoto, but answers to the name of Jack. Come on guys, he’s not sympathetic, his brain is on “Hold.”
And just think: a single-digit point swing…
You must be reading the Mop and Pail and the Communist Star far, far too much.
intelligents is not a prerequisite to becoming a politician, and De-onion is the proof of this factor
Brian, thanks for ruining my day.
I’m still amazed at how the MSM dotes on every word he says. I read a bit and listened to the discussions here but when I visited back to Canada, I was shocked at how blatant it was.
You guys, the Liberal defense mantra is “Let the Americans do it!” No matter the war, no matter the enemy, that’s what they say and that’s what they do.
Why do you think we have to do an emergency buy of used tanks from Holland?
Honor and the keeping of one’s word is not their thing. Graft, brown bags of money and back room deals, that’s more their speed.
“Educated far beyond his intelligence”: yes; and that was true also for Pierre Trudeau – a mediocre intellect, an excellent education. However, Trudeau did keep the main thing the main thing. Mostly to our harm, though he was beneficial to the country in the FLQ crisis.
So Stephane Dion wants to use the Afghan People as sheep in an experiment wherein he’d have Canada loose the wolves (Taliban) on them and see what happens.
How can he not see it coming? As it is the nature of the wolf to eat its prey, it is the nature of the Taliban to tyrannize and murder the Afghan People.
What a moron.
Dion also appears to have little faith in NATO, while appearing to have complete faith in the UN.
Much like the rest of the world’s moonbats.
Your assessment of Dion is incorrect- his ‘main thing’, is to discredit Stepen Harper. (Considering the average intelligeance of the Canadian voter- it will probably work for him).
Wait three hours and his tune will change . . . it always does.
I’ve always maintained the man’s english is fine, it’s WHAT he says that’s the problem.
radwanski & the G&M are having a real lively conversation on this subject, There are more in the comments section Here then there is on radwanski(9).
Meanwhile the harper & mission bashing continues on the comments of the Afghan Protesting the killings of 2 cleric’s by Supposebly Canadian Soilders.
Julie van Douche Bag is surprisingly uncomplimentary to Steffie.
National Newswatch…”Dion fuels election talk…”
He isn’t that educated; a sociology degree and being a sociology professor isn’t a sign of intellect.
But, the MSM, both the press and the tv, particularly CTV and CBC, are focused on the Liberals. They consider the Liberals as the Natural Governing Party, and since Day One of Harper’s election, they’ve been campaigning to get rid of him..and get Things Back the Way They Should Be – with the Liberals in power.
When Harper was elected the MSM buss was ‘how long can it last; he’ll fall, he’ll fall. Then when that didn’t happen, it was an hysteria about a Spring Election!! Nothing happened. Now, they are equally in hyperventilation about a Fall election.
But their agenda now is not simply to return the Liberals to Their Rightful Place. It’s to get rid of Dion so that they can do so.
I’d say that the MSM have decided that Dion is finished; he’s not the person who can do What Is Right – and return the Liberals. The MSM haven’t changed their basic agenda – which is to get the Liberals back in.
And listen to Dion. Now, he’s back to the normal Liberal blather – talking about Harper’s Hidden Agenda, and the normal Liberal anti-Americanism, comparing Harper to Bush. All trite and obnoxious comments. Of course, according to Dion, he is too ‘nice’ to say nasty things about others – yet, that’s all he does.
As for Afghanistan – the point is ‘spot on’. Dion is risking Afghan people’s lives to put NATO to the test?
As usual, the Liberal have No Policies. They just emotionally manipulate the public with the latest emotional hot fears – environment, war, and whatever.
The only person who really wants an election is Layton, because he wants to grab Liberal seats. Dion must realize that he’ll lose – and he’s out when he loses. I wonder if this current posturing is just that – posturing.
Keeping the main thing the main thing… That’s not fair do you think it is easy making priorities?
The really sad thing about this kind of crap the Dion speaks is that those ideas make sense to liberals.
Why?
So Citoyen Dion wants to play chicken with NATO…is this guy having a brain cramp? What the hell is he thinking…idiot!
Citoyen Dion,and a single digit. Must have been his
I.Q. test results.
Geez, I am beginning to believe it when Dion claims he didn’t know the Chretien / Martin / Gagliano, you name them, Government brown envelope Adscammers were laundering taxpayer money in his Quebec Province.
I doubt if he even yet understands what Kyoto deal
the Chretch signed Canada onto.
And he wants to lead Canada on the world stage?
Good grief!
caughtJean LaP.on Duff tonite..said if the Libs.don’t cough up $250,000 by this wk-end,their head office in Que.will have to close.
Bit OT,but while driving home tonite,caught really interesting bit on cbc radio (Amanda Marcheson’s report)re:military recruitment in Canada.The HIGHEST rates of recruitment are in QUEBEC! Mtl has on average 300/mo.signing up,and Quebec city is the highest overall.What is happening,to all the reports about the low support coming out of Que?This is fascinating to me..anyone else catch that story..as I couldn’t believe my ears.
“I am pleased when people underestimate me,” he said. “I need to fight and win against a caricature of myself. And I will win.”
CBC.ca today.
Dangerously schizophrenic I would say.
Borat Dion : the Grate Communicator. he grates on us all.
There are lots of people who vote liberal… just because.
They do not like discussing why they vote liberal. Usually they shy away from explaining when asked, or respond with a grin and change topic…
When told that LPC is a party of convicted criminals, that their hands are always shaking from lust for our money, that their only principle is to have none, those voters might reply along the lines that yes, that is mostly true [sigh] but they will still cross liberal candidate at the polls.
Interesting, that those voters are never vocal about their choice, unlike majority of conservative voters. It is beyond me, why there are so many in Canada who understand what liberals are, but still vote them in.
If only somebody could explain it to me!
I take no pleasure in this, and I do not know the context of Dion’s statement, because I pay scarce attention to him, but…
…is there not a point worthy of discussion here?
Granted that Canada’s presence in Afghanistan is a UN-sanctioned mission, it is that only by virtue of our membership in NATO. If NATO is not fulfilling its obligations to its treaty partners, does this mean that Canada must shoulder the burden disproportionately, particularly if there are strong repercussions against our national self-interest? To what degree do we have a moral obligation to redress the internal affairs of another sovereign state? What is the proper response of a civilized state towards a rogue nation that exports its problems and threatens regional and global stability?
I am extremely disappointed in the quality of the comments on this subject. They are unthinkingly partisan and uniformly blind to the underlying principles that should govern our national response. They fall into the same hypocrisy as the cry “support our troops” rather than “support the mission”.
Address the issue! Compassion is exercised in the context of responsibility, else it is but sop to guilt.
“I am pleased when people underestimate me,” he said. “I need to fight and win against a caricature of myself. And I will win.”
Pretty much says it all. A pathetic hollow man fighting demons that look like himself.
The latest poll results in Quebec show the libs on a downward spiral. It’s sucking. We’ll see if Ontario picks up on it.
The French are starting to surprise me.
aaron – I don’t know if it is the correct explanation, but, it’s my explanation. People vote Liberal in Canada because about 50 years ago, we set up a particular structure of The Way Canada Exists.
We set it up, in 1950, when the population was 11 million, with 8 million in Ontario and Quebec; each had about 4 million. The other 3 million were ‘peripherals’ outside The Real Canada: Ontario and Quebec. This centrism became the governing structure of operations; all decisions were made that empowered this centre.
Then, in 1960-70, Quebec began to mature out of its dependency on Ontario and anglophones – and it was dependent, for francophones were primarily rural. The centrist set up then moved to define Quebec as a smouldering violent ‘mass’ perpetually on the verge of leaving (and going where?) and ‘breaking up the country’.
This image of a teetering Canada because of Quebec was, I maintain, polished, magnified and massively shouted out – by the Liberals. They set up Ontario as The Way To Deal with This, by defining Ontario as doing Whatever It Takes to Keep Quebec Happy. This adversarial dyad of unhappy Quebec and Mollifying Ontario was a deliberate political strategy of the Liberals.
It was entrenched in the 1980s Charter, which set up the dyad within bilingualism. The dyad, again, is primarily Ontario-Quebec. The Liberals have long ignored that the population is no longer 11 million, no longer 4 million each in Ontario and Quebec.
Then, the Liberals, again in the Charter, weakened Ontario’s capacity to think and rebel against this dyad and its role of Perpetual Mollifier – by balkanizing its immigrants into isolate sets. Ontario is the immigrant province in Canada. The Liberals isolated each group and kept them dependent on Liberal funding.
So- in Ontario, people voted Liberal because they were smashed into meek sheep, kept within the constraints of political correctness, outlawed if they said a word against any largesse to Quebec or groups.
Then, the Liberals embellished this basic infrastructure by filling all the institutions in this system – with Liberal appointments. Our judges, Senate, court systems, all research funding, universities – and the MSM. The CBC, on and on.
We are a brainwashed people. Kept in check by being told we are ‘tolerant’, which actually means we put up with everything; we are ‘multicultural’ which means we have no capacity to evaluate good and bad behaviour; we are etc etc.
And the Liberals ignored the West, except to bleed it of money (NEP) to fund the East, and ignored the Maritimes except to shut it up by make-work projects.
And of course, the tactic of insistent anti-Americanism, kept us even further from any capacity to critique ourselves.
Quebec hasn’t been subject to multiculturalism and to having to please and mollify anyone. It has finally started to move out of the old ‘give us or we’ll leave’ – and mature on its own.
The West has emerged as the economic powerhouse of Canada – and the Liberals don’t like that. One of their sneers at Harper is that he’s ‘from Calgary’. Can you imagine – the Liberals consider that a sneer?
The West wasn’t balkanized and intellectually frozen like Ontario was. It can speak up and it can do things.
Ontario is in trouble; it has lost its old role of mollifying Quebec..
So- people in Ontario vote Liberal because the Liberals set up a governing structure that trapped Canadians into being frightened NOT to vote Liberal, ie, if they didn’t, the country would ‘fall apart’.
That’s over. Canada has to mature and Ontario has to get over its neurosis.
“Granted that Canada’s presence in Afghanistan is a UN-sanctioned mission, it is that only by virtue of our membership in NATO. If NATO is not fulfilling its obligations to its treaty partners, does this mean that Canada must shoulder the burden disproportionately, particularly if there are strong repercussions against our national self-interest?”
Yes. At least to the point where the effort is sustainable. There are two principal components to our participation, the political, through the UN and NATO, and the ethical, which is the underpinning of our political component. The failure of our treaty partners cannot, and must not, be the compromise that strikes us from duty, only our ability to participate. Otherwise, like Mr. Dion, and most especially Mr Layton, we stand for nothing.
“To what degree do we have a moral obligation to redress the internal affairs of another sovereign state?”
To whatever degree to that which we have committed, in practical and ethical principle, to the limits of our capacity.
“What is the proper response of a civilized state towards a rogue nation that exports its problems and threatens regional and global stability?”
There is no “proper response”. That is a muggs game, amply demonstrated by the UN in its various missions and interventions.
The only response, is the response that places the necessary limits on the rogue. It is, and must be, any, and all possible responses, even within the same intervention. There are no Marquis of Queensbury rules in the 21st century wars of states. There is too much power. The 20th century rule of “mutually assured destruction” remains the benchmark of conflict. The Cold War never went away. It is simply a tag team match which changed partners, and will do so again (and again).
Tenebris
dion just told the Talibani to wait for their turn, it comes in 2009
it is not wot he said, it is that he said it
ET, I suppose you also know that it was written in the Crooked Liberty Party handbook years ago that it was a specified duty of the Liberal appointed citizenship court judges to follow the new immigrants around and make dam sure that they voted for the Crooked Liberal Party of Canada.
People guffaw at the term Trudeau’s Brown Army but there was a lot of truth in it, because that is how the Liberals were winning close ridings in Ontario and Quebec.
After it became public knowledge, Mark McGuigan finally had the handbook changed so that the Liberal strategy wasn’t so bloody blatant.
Dion just wants to play a high stakes game of poker with NATO and use the women and children of Afganistan as chips.
“And just think: a single-digit point swing in the next election, and this man could be Canada’s next Prime Minister.”
Time for Canadian politics 101. As long as the Bloc wins 35-40 seats, it will be a minority. As long as Stephane Dion leads the Liberals, Harper is the default federalist choice in Quebec. Get rid of the Bloc, Harper wins a majority.
Bottom line, the best dion will ever get is a minority, and that’s so long as the Bloc exists.
Hard to believe the Liberal Party of Canada once professed this:
Our forces are in Afghanistan because to allow Afghanistan to go back to being a failed state would not only be a regional disaster but an international disaster. We must not forget that the Taliban was in power and that it was an area where the Taliban was supportive of al-Qaeda, the group responsible for terrorist activities around the world. We cannot allow Afghanistan to become a staging point for terrorist activities in the region or, indeed, here in Canada.
We are in Afghanistan with troops from other countries because failed and failing states, as we know, can and do breed terrorist activities. That is what will happen in Afghanistan and that is what did happen. We as part of the international community are determined not to go back down that road.
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=2110734&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=38&Ses=1
“because they will be afraid to be there forever.”
He’s beat before he even gets started.
Loser.
Just a slight nudge in the polls and Harper will be gone for good. And good riddance, too!
Well spoken for an ELB, eastern liberal bastard. With dion as PM is that when talk turns to steel?
“The more you know him, the less you like him.”
– Jason Kenny, commenting on Quebec’s byelection verdict on Dion … on the Duffy Show today.
When asked how he would grade his performance since winning the Liberal leadership race last year, Mr. Dion, a former university professor, gave himself an A.
Mr de yawn is incredibly arrogant and although I’m no edumicated perfesser, he doesn’t come across as very bright either.
Dion government = kakistocracy
(N.) KAK-UH-STOK’-RUH-SEE – govt by the least qualified person
Kelly, note he gives himself an “A” because he believes people recognize him as more sincere than Stephen Harper.
Well, whoop-di-do. He might even be right. However, sincerity is the world’s most over-rated virtue.
Every burned-out hippie is sincere. My dog is sincere, but he wouldn’t make a very good Prime Minister.
“And just think: a single-digit point swing in the next election, and this man could be Canada’s next Prime Minister.”
Trudeau must be smiling inside his coffin…
if I was grading myself, I’d be very gracious, maybe a little bias.
But in no way would it influence my vote unless I had envelopes stuffed with cash
“To what degree do we have a moral obligation to redress the internal affairs of another sovereign state?”
The War on Terror is motivated by hatred and fear of Muslims not a moral obligation to make their lives better. Afghanistan happens to be a worthy cause though. It’s a shame that the American’s diverted their troops to the Iraq fiasco.
“the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”
I’d argue that as far as Dion is concerned he is doing right by the LPC and that “the main thing” is to get re-elected above all else including the safety of the Afgani people.
With this re-election goal in mind, compassion doesn’t even enter the equation.
Time to get real on the Afghanistan Mission. Canada is not the only Country with Forces there fighting Taliban. Reading our press it would lead to believe we’re the only Country who can save the Afghans.
As for casualties, any mention of the number of Americans killed in that place?
Of course the Mission is all part of the world’s fight against terrorism, it’s not “George Bush’s war” as the Left would have us believe. It’s a NATO sanctioned mission.
Stephane Dion is early in his Leadership and already an abject failure at every turn. It’s apparent he’s out of his league. For the Liberals it’s a SNAFU situation.
Rick in BC: ” My dog is sincere, but he wouldn’t make a very good Prime Minister.” No but he would make a great Liberal Leader. The present one doesn’t know how to roll over and play dead.
Skip – well said.
“Why?”
Posted by: OMMAG
Go see a lobotomist and they could make sense to you too.
🙂
Seems every day Stephane Dion demonstrates that our previous estimates of him were overstated. He keeps on outdoing himself in terms of mediocrity and worse.
Dion claims he likes it when he’s “underestimated”.
He fails to realize that he’s not actually being underestimated. What happened is that he was overestimated, particularly in terms of intellect, then people saw how he really is, thus the people adjusted their expectations accordingly. Pity poor Steph doesn’t realize this and continues to have his pitiful delusions of grandeur as to his fitness to lead and the worthiness of his party overall.
Stephanie D-Yawn, that about sums it up.
Dion is like a slow motion train wreck. Fortunately the only victims are Liberals so no need to feel guilty about slowing down to watch.
enough