Quote du Jour

The bold talk on climate change was coupled with a signal that the NDP could refrain from joining the Bloc Quebecois in voting non-confidence in Prime Minister Stephen Harper on another key issue, the war in Afghanistan.

Layton, who has long called for withdrawal of Canadian troops, said he won't decide on the Bloc initiative until he sees the exact wording of the motion.

But he clearly indicated that he believes Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe is just jockeying for political advantage in trying to force an early election on the issue.

"I don't like the idea of playing political games with people's lives," said Layton.

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So today we have both so-called Canadian liberal parties refusing to bring down the Tories over Afghanistan even though they know that Harper's spring vote to extend the mission was an absolute sham not supported by any research or actual plans.

Dion and Layton can blame Duceppe all they want but both of them are missing the big picture here: our soldiers are dying in Afghanistan in a losing war which many allied countries have already begun pulling away from. Anyone who has ever fought a war in Afghanistan knows how utterly impossible it is to get a grip on the country. Just ask the Brits.

Too many people who support having our troops there push the talking point that if Canada withdraws, the country will somehow fall apart. We are one country with a very small commitment there. While Bush and McCain have been making the rounds chastising other NATO countries for not helping out more, their country is pulling troops and funding. Why is that lost on people?

If anyone has actually proposed a winning, workable strategy for the war in Afghanistan, I have yet to see it. Corruption is rampant. Drug lords rule with vast amounts of money and power. Pakistan's government - the major player in the region - doesn't seem to care and just puts bandaids on gaping head wounds while proclaiming it's helping out in the so-called war on terrorism. The Taliban numbers are surging. OBL is still on the run. Police training has been an absolute farce. And the southern region is a constant battlefield. That reality isn't going to end any time soon.

So, people really need to ask themselves and answer honestly: what can Canada do over there to make much of a difference? How can we do it? How long are we willing to be there? How many more soldiers need to be injured or dead before we admit that our efforts are futile - especially since this war will not be won militarily? There are too many political and internal issues that need to be fixed so there's no way we can just slaughter our way to freedom for the Afghan people.

Pull out. Offer diplomatic and financial aid along with support for the NGOs. But let's not continue to fool ourselves into believing that if our troops weren't there, the place would go to hell in a handbasket. It already has.