Afghanistan: Retribution?

Defence minister O'Connor in mid-January:

"When the Taliban or al-Qaida came out of Afghanistan, they attacked the Twin Towers and in those Twin Towers, 25 Canadians were killed. The previous government and this government will not allow Canadians to be killed without retribution."

Defence minister O'Connor during Monday's question period:

And of course when I referred to retribution I was talking to [sic] the Chretien government's initial actions in Afghanistan.

And digging himself further into that hole, he then said:

The Taliban government was in charge of Afghanistan. They sponsored the al Qaeda terrorists who launched an attack from Afghanistan, attacked the Twin Towers, killed nearly 3000 people among which were 24 people (voices around him reminded him he was supposed to say "Canadians")...24 Canadians...

So, first of all he accuses the Taliban of attacking the Twin Towers. Then he states the wrong number of Canadians who lost their lives; says clearly that the military campaign of the previous government and the current government is based on retribution; backtracks on that when he's questioned and finally gets the number of Canadians killed on 9/11 right. This is the man in charge of running this war on our behalf? Sheesh.

And, as if that wasn't enough, O'Connor (a former defence industry lobbyist) is under fire over defence contracts:

The Conservative government has approved $17 billion worth of new military equipment projects, including the purchase of transport aircraft, helicopters, ships and trucks.

The Bloc, NDP and Liberals have raised questions about the aircraft deals in particular. Some critics in the aerospace industry claim the contracts are being directed to specific companies with no real competition.

Back in his opposition days, O'Connor labelled a plan to buy similar aircraft "outrageous" and an attempt to spend billions without public scrutiny. The plan was derailed in the fall of 2005 by bureaucrats and some Liberal cabinet members who were concerned about the non-competitive nature of the contracts. Now in government, O'Connor and his supporters say the purchases and contracts are fair, open, transparent and meet the needs of the Canadian Forces.

The politics of the situation will be also fuelled by defence committee hearings on procurement that are likely to start in March.