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Harper tours Afghan front line

farnival
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farnival
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Joined: Jul 9 2004

Harper tours Afghan front line

quote:KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN — Prime Minister Stephen Harper flew to within a few kilometres of Taliban territory Wednesday, visiting a Canadian forward operating base at Ma'Sum Ghar.

"No serving prime minister, in my opinion, has been closer to combat operations than this prime minister today," said Col. Mike Cessford, the deputy commander of the Canadian contingent in Kandahar....

---snip---

...Neither the general, nor the Prime Minister wore helmets during the visit....

---snip---

...Officials travelling with Mr. Harper said he had insisted on getting as close to the "front" as possible, ...

---snip---

Officials in the Prime Minister's office turfed the Canadian Press reporter out of the small media pool allowed on board the pair of Black Hawk helicopters that flew Mr. Harper to the forward operating base, southwest of Kandahar.

That turned the visit into a photo opportunity, with only a TV cameraman and two still photographers accompanying Mr. Harper...

Prime Minister Tough Guy. What. An. Ass. [img]redface.gif" border="0[/img]

Harper is a National Embarassment (TM)


N.Beltov
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Joined: May 25 2003
He's desperate and obviously losing the battle for public opinion. That's a good sign. Karzai's comments to the effect that he "guaranteed" that prisoners weren't tortured made him sound like a Mafiosi out of a bad movie. Some of that ugliness is bound to rub off on Harper.

Still, didn't Karzai look stylish in his cape, fez and so on? He really is the most elegant puppet leader in all of the US Empire. Give Harper credit - he wants to be seen with the most dashing and stylish quisling!

Much as I dislike this PM I hope he doesn't get his ass blown off. It would reflect badly on all Canadians.


Scott Piatkowski
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Joined: Sep 3 2001
Where's the Mission Accomplished banner?

"We will keep our soldiers here for as long as I need cheap photo opportunities!"


farnival
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Joined: Jul 9 2004
ugh. i saw that Karzai bit on CTV News last night, and the sycophantic drivel coming from the reporter in Kandahar was embarassing. Lloyd Robertson asked him "why now", and the reporter excitedly described how 60% of the Canadian public is opposed to the war, and the Conservatives were dropping in the polls. HE MADE NO SECRET OF IT. NO SPIN! then he goes on about how in the morning, Mr. Regular Guy Harper was going to sit down for breakfast in the mess hall and eat "greasy eggs and bacon" with the troops. the reporter could barely contain his glee and looked like a kid on christmas morning.

Pathetic. [img]rolleyes.gif" border="0[/img]


Boom Boom
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Joined: Dec 29 2004
CBC just ran that segment of Harper near the front lines, back-to-back with interviews with troops and the top general - all saying that the February 2009 deadline is totally unrealistic. Then, CBC closed the segment with this comment from Paul Hunter: "Now Harper is on his way back to Canada, to see if this trip has made any difference in support back home". [img]rolleyes.gif" border="0[/img]

ETA: the CBC's Paul Hunter, by the way, usually pulls no punches when it comes to criticism of Harper. He tried to hold back a cynical smile when he said that line (above) but you could see it plainly. I think Paul Hunter is one of the good guys in the CBC.

[ 23 May 2007: Message edited by: Boom Boom ]


N.Beltov
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Joined: May 25 2003
Maybe if Harper returns to Canada wearing a green and white chapan, a traditional Uzbek cape, and ceremonial karakul hat we can start calling him the Mayor of Ottawa just as Karzai is (mockingly) called the Mayor of Kabul.

Harper may be a US sycophant but goddam it why can't he be a stylish one?

Hat Trick: Selling Brand Karzai

[ 23 May 2007: Message edited by: N.Beltov ]


N.Beltov
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Joined: May 25 2003
One Afghan to another: "Karzai is not the president of Afghanistan, B-52 is president."

farnival
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Joined: Jul 9 2004
oh, but he tries so so hard though! [img]biggrin.gif" border="0[/img]


thorin_bane
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Paul Workman was an excellent reporter for the CBC but he was let go by Rabinovich and Strusberg(Sp) The CBC has been eaten from the insdie by these two rotten worms. I mentioned the recent polls to my parents and they where shocked because my local rag hasn't mentioned the plumet of the cons since the budget. Funny Asper papers always find front page inches to scream a headline about how well the cons are doing, but when the faulter....hmmm page g7 one column inch is the order of the day....BUT WE REPORT EVENLY...both times it was printed in the paper...umm yeah sure.

Boom Boom
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Joined: Dec 29 2004
I remember Paul Workman well - he was a great guy. Where is he now? I like the CBC's Paul Hunter, as well as Naylah Ayed and Adrienne Arsenault. All top notch reporters, and there's more, but these three are my favourites.

Tommy_Paine
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And if Harper stayed in Canada and never visited Afghanistan, then we'd be calling him Prime Minister Chicken Hawk.

I believe we should leave personalities out of this, epecially when the facts are so solidly on our side.


farnival
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Joined: Jul 9 2004
quote:Originally posted by Tommy_Paine:
And if Harper stayed in Canada and never visited Afghanistan, then we'd be calling him Prime Minister Chicken Hawk...

If Harper stayed in Canada and actually had his MINORITY govt. co-operate with the other parties and reflect the will of the reported 60% of the public who don't want us in this stupid corporate greed war (can you say pipeline?), he might actually improve his popularity.

but, we have nothing to worry about there. all Harper cares about now is boosting his warmonger image because nothing else at home is working. This trip is an insult to the troops, not a morale boosting exercise. And if the Canadian Forces personell can't see themselves being used transparently by a meglomaniac, then they are just as bad as Harper is.


joshmanicus
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Joined: Apr 2 2006
'I'm not here because of the polls,' Harper tells reporters

You have to hand it to Harper.

He is trying. He really is trying.

He has the hockey reference with the Ottawa Senators Jersey FOR A BABY, the lovable president Hamid Karzai *gag*, a camp out and breakfast with the army, as well as a dashing *gag gag* picture of him with a flak vest on!

Sorry Steve. The war is lost. Time to pack it in and call it a day.


Farmpunk
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Joined: Jul 25 2006
Unfortunately, we are there now. I've yet to read a coherent plan for withdrawl from any party (link me, if I'm missing something). Because they do have to get out there sometime, right?

"Get them outta there immediately" is a good idea. But how is another matter.


Jerry West
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Joined: Oct 9 2001
quote:
And if Harper stayed in Canada and never visited Afghanistan, then we'd be calling him Prime Minister Chicken Hawk.

In order not to be a chicken hawk he would have to actually have to put himself at considerable risk in combat. Touring the theater of operations in safe zones under security doesn't qualify.

He is a chicken hawk, risking other people's lives in situations he has never put himself at risk in.


Webgear
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Joined: May 30 2005
Jerry

FOB Masum Ghar is not in a safe zone.


Red Partisan
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Joined: Feb 15 2007
This is the new version of the cowboy outfit when he was trying to humanize himself before the election in 2006.

G.I. Steve


Jerry West
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Joined: Oct 9 2001
quote:
FOB Masum Ghar is not in a safe zone.

Con Thien was not a safe zone. Khe Sanh was not a safe zone, the beaches of Normandy on D-Day were not a safe zone. Relatively speaking every FOB in Afghanistan is a safe zone, particularly if you are a national leader with tons of security precautions in play. [img]smile.gif" border="0[/img]

Of course chicken hawk in the Canadian context isn't quite the same as in the US. This generation of Canadians did not have the obligation of fighting in a war that their counterparts in the US did.


Jingles
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Joined: Nov 13 2002
Overheard conversation featuring a wife of a soldier:

"Does your husband have to go to Afghanistan?"
"Probably next year. The families don't want them to go but they're pretty anxious to go. They want to use their training. It would be a shame not to use all their training. (my italics)

Yeah, it would be real sad if Canadians don't get to shoot those live targets. What a waste of training.

I didn't say it, but I wanted to tell her that if her husband was killed, she shouldn't be too upset. After all, he was training for it. It would be a shame for a soldier to fail in his mission of dying for his New Government.

[ 23 May 2007: Message edited by: Jingles ]


remind
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Joined: Jun 25 2004
See the Dr Laura thread, cause for sure they want to use "their training":

quote:The families don't want them to go but they're pretty anxious to go, They want to use their training. It would be a shame not to use all their training.

Yep, it is all about their "training"!

[ 23 May 2007: Message edited by: remind ]


thorin_bane
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Joined: Jun 19 2004
I am also fond of the canadia bacon quote by rip torn "We pay for all these guns and bombs we have to make use of them" Paraphrasing...hard for The New Government to justify 15 billion on the military if we aren't going to use it. I would rather see stories about how we went and showed african farmers some cuban agricultural techniques(Don't get on me for the different climate regions, I know I know.) Or maybe something abour kids that have severed legs from the cluster munitions the americans and myabe we dropped. Good job making the aid packages and munitions the same colour jackholes!

I don't recall too many stories about how native hollanders where bombing the canadians as we came through to "liberate" them. So I highly doubt we will see statues or memorials with elderly 40 years old in afghanistan saying how great the canadians where liberating them 30 years in the past. No it is all a Pipe dream, an oil pipe to be exact.

[ 24 May 2007: Message edited by: thorin_bane ]


farnival
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Joined: Jul 9 2004
quote:Originally posted by Joshua Kubinec:
[QB]...He has the hockey reference with the Ottawa Senators Jersey FOR A BABY...


this was the part in the CTV news piece that really offended me. Harper hands the jersy to Karzai and says "this doesn't represent the members of our upper house, but respected hockey players.

so, here's our PM who rails against "partisanship" at every opportunity, showing his contempt for and insulting our Senate to the leader of the country he is visiting, and supposedly helping set up a democratic system of government.

I don't care what you think of the Senate, when you are Prime Minister, you are expected to be Prime Ministerial, not some juvenille ideological prat. [img]mad.gif" border="0[/img]


thorin_bane
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Joined: Jun 19 2004
quote:Originally posted by farnival:

Harper tours Afghan front line

Prime Minister Tough Guy. What. An. Ass. [img]redface.gif" border="0[/img]

Harper is a National Embarassment (TM)


It looks like harper want to get in the ring and rastle someone!

Maybe he can use former PM Jean the "french strangler" chretiens patented neck lock to protesters move!

[ 24 May 2007: Message edited by: thorin_bane ]


Merowe
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Joined: Apr 16 2003
Ugh. Why doesn't he just move to the States. Piece of shit.

Politics101
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Joined: Apr 23 2005
Well it looks like Harper has gotten closer to actual battle combat than draft dodging George W ever did.

Wonder how our commander in chief looks upon this photo opt political stunt. At least if the GG goes she is doing a part of her job that she is paid to do.

Madame Jean where are you when we need you.


HeywoodFloyd
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Joined: Jun 26 2003
quote:Originally posted by farnival:


this was the part in the CTV news piece that really offended me. Harper hands the jersy to Karzai and says "this doesn't represent the members of our upper house, but [b]respected hockey players.

How do you think that this insults the senate?


Briguy
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Joined: Nov 30 2001
quote:Originally posted by HeywoodFloyd:

How do you think that this insults the senate?

More to the point, what's wrong with insulting the senate? Aside from the dubious character of the insulter.


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