Eric Margolis on the Manley Report

There's a number of areas where I disagree with Eric Margolis, but when he talks about Afghanistan, I tend to believe that his personal experience in the region gives him the credibility that merits me paying attention. What does he think about the Manley report? I'll put it mildly by saying he's not impressed. Read his reaction here.

Manley Men!

John Manley's report said everything that we always knew it would say - stay the course, more soldiers, et cetera. He also throws in a bargaining tactic (more NATO support or we'll leave) that Damian Penny doesn't like because the mission is too important. Look, on a personal level buying a house is very important, and that's exactly where you want to drive a hard bargain.

The real problem with the report is that I still don't see a set of goals that could tell us that we could leave. Why are we there and what do we need to specifically accomplish to leave? Can we accomplish those goals? I'm not satisfied on those fronts and that's why I remain an Afghan skeptic.

The Yes Men Return

I can't wait to peruse Manley's report, I'm sure that it'll tell Harper exactly what he wants to here. Here to demonstrate what happens when you "stay the course" are the kids from Rebel Without A Cause, take it away!

A Bronze Medal Column from Lawrence Martin

In the Grope & Flail today Lawrence Martin writes column (behind firewall, sigh) that suggests that an earlier withdrawal from Afghanistan is akin to settling for a bronze medal instead of going for the gold. Of all the stupid metaphors for military action this is one of the worst. Martin first of all insults Canada as a country that settles for second-rate accomplishments - or at least repeats John Manley's insinuation of the same. Then Martin goes on to suggests that staying in Afghanistan as long as Hillier wants is akin to going for a gold medal.

How stupid.

At a certain point discretion is the better part of valour - any military leader, hell, any poker player, will tell you that. At a certain point you need to realize that you can't do any more good by staying in too long. The question is not whether we could we muster the will and the resources to stay a long time, I'm sure that we could - if we thought this whole enterprise would work. The question is, will it do any good in the long term? We have an Afghan government that is composed in no small part of people who were warlords - just not Taliban warlords. We are trying to change a society that has rejected one occupying army after another. Overstaying our welcome doesn't deserve a gold medal. Please work on finding less stupid metaphors.

Harper's Afghan Panel to be given commemorative T-shirts

What else would you expect for a Liberal hawk leading a gaggle of former Conservative ministers and appointees (and Pamela Wallin - WTF).

John Manley Is Wrong About Anti-Terrorism Laws

Apparently Manley's comments on Macleans' new site have caused a stir. I think Manley is dead wrong, here are a couple particulars that stand out to me:

"I believe that Cabinet and Parliament got the balance right in 2001-02. And I do not believe that anything has changed to make that balance inappropriate today."

In 2001-02? At that time we were still in collective post-9/11 freakout mode (and understandably so). We thought (at least I did) that we'd be averaging one or two terror attacks in North America on a 9/11 scale every year. We have now the advantage of distance to understand that maybe some laws were draconian.

"I believe there are adequate checks on the use of these powers, such as mandatory judicial review, to ensure that they are not abused."

Apparently Manley hasn't been following Harper's plans for the courts.

"And the most important civil liberty is freedom from fear of harm on the part of the civilian population, without which our other liberties mean very little."

Yeah, just ask Maher Arar about how fearsome Syrian prison is. Arbitrary arrest and/or rendition is something to be afraid of too. I can't help but get the sense that when someone with the kind of privilege that Manley has as a former cabinet minister says stuff like this, his assumption is something like "Oh well, arrest and rendition could never happen to me, John Manley, or my buddies in government and industry." He cannot conceive how these laws might be frightening to those less politically connected.