This time Iggy has none other than uber-rightwing nutjob Jonathan Kay singing his praises.
Here in Canada, the war has led to another welcome schism, dividing the Left between its adult and child factions — between those mature enough to understand that Israel has the same right to defend itself against suicide bombs and rockets as any other nation, and those who believe Israeli Jews should pay for the original sin of existence by passively enduring terrorism in perpetuity.
There was a day, not so long ago, when such children held sway in the Liberal Party of Canada. During Israel's 2006 war against Hezbollah, when Stephen Harper made plain his support for Israel, interim Liberal leader Bill Graham fretted that the Prime Minister was abandoning Canada's role as an "interlocutor" in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Liberal MP Denis Coderre marched in a Montreal "peace" rally that featured Hezbollah banners and vicious anti-Israel slogans. Under Stéphane Dion, a conventional leftist when it came to international affairs, this amoral approach might well have been reprised in 2009.
But not under Michael Ignatieff. Notwithstanding his own rhetorical toadying to Israel's critics in 2006, he's taken a firm pro-Israel line in the Gaza conflict. Last week, he declared that "Canada has to support the right of a democratic country to defend itself," and that "Hamas is to blame for organizing and instigating these rocket attacks and then for sheltering among civilian populations."
This is more than just a stirring demonstration of moral clarity. It is also smart politics.
These are important times for the Liberal Party of Canada. For many years, its foreign-policy has been the subject of a tug of war between adults and children — a tug of war neither Dion nor Paul Martin had the moral authority to settle.
Ignatieff finally is signaling that a well-informed adult is firmly in command.
According to senior Liberals I've spoken with, Ignatieff and his people have gotten the word out that he alone will be pronouncing on this issue.
Reading yet another National Postie heap praise on the guy, I'm so glad I've scraped the 'Ignatieff Liberal' shit off my boots.
Here in Canada, the war has led to another welcome schism, dividing the Left between its adult and child factions — between those mature enough to understand that Israel has the same right to defend itself against suicide bombs and rockets as any other nation, and those who believe Israeli Jews should pay for the original sin of existence by passively enduring terrorism in perpetuity.
There was a day, not so long ago, when such children held sway in the Liberal Party of Canada. During Israel's 2006 war against Hezbollah, when Stephen Harper made plain his support for Israel, interim Liberal leader Bill Graham fretted that the Prime Minister was abandoning Canada's role as an "interlocutor" in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Liberal MP Denis Coderre marched in a Montreal "peace" rally that featured Hezbollah banners and vicious anti-Israel slogans. Under Stéphane Dion, a conventional leftist when it came to international affairs, this amoral approach might well have been reprised in 2009.
But not under Michael Ignatieff. Notwithstanding his own rhetorical toadying to Israel's critics in 2006, he's taken a firm pro-Israel line in the Gaza conflict. Last week, he declared that "Canada has to support the right of a democratic country to defend itself," and that "Hamas is to blame for organizing and instigating these rocket attacks and then for sheltering among civilian populations."
This is more than just a stirring demonstration of moral clarity. It is also smart politics.
These are important times for the Liberal Party of Canada. For many years, its foreign-policy has been the subject of a tug of war between adults and children — a tug of war neither Dion nor Paul Martin had the moral authority to settle.
Ignatieff finally is signaling that a well-informed adult is firmly in command.
According to senior Liberals I've spoken with, Ignatieff and his people have gotten the word out that he alone will be pronouncing on this issue.
Reading yet another National Postie heap praise on the guy, I'm so glad I've scraped the 'Ignatieff Liberal' shit off my boots.
9 comments:
It appears that underneath his support, is a drive to fill the liberal coffers with gold. Selling one's political soul is so American, I must say.
One thing in all of this that surprises me, is that Kay is one of the first people who has even alluded to Ignatieff's past condemnation of Israeli airstrikes into Lebanon.
I'm not unsympathetic to Israel, but if Mr. ignatieff thought that airstrikes were a war crime a few years ago, what does he think they are now?
Yes Jan, that's Iggy. Somewhere, wherever he is, Pierre Trudeau weeps to see what has befallen his party's leadership and the obsequious sycophants who flock to support Ignatieff.
Fish, the whole Qana thing was a "mistake" just as Iggy was mistaken in championing the disastrous and murderous conquest of Iraq just as he was mistaken in giving torture an approving nod.
Whenever this guy states something that becomes a political liability, he yells "mistake" and waits to be wrapped in the warm blanket of absolution.
The man has the integrity of a pinworm. Yet he certainly has stifled any and all contrary opinion (which some might "mistakenly" call free speech) within the Liberal ranks.
Yet he certainly has stifled any and all contrary opinion (which some might "mistakenly" call free speech) within the Liberal ranks.
Seeing how this approach has worked for Harper...
I'm not saying it's right. It just seems to further cheapen political discourse.
As I said on my blog that National Com.Post stinks and so does Iggy. This is so repulsive.
I spent the morning poring over some of my collection of Trudeau biographies and memoirs. I just wanted to refresh my memory of Trudeau's vision of principled liberalism just to make sure I haven't been having one ginormous senior's moment over Ignatieff. It was a relief in a way to realize that if Ignatieff had gotten into Trudeau's caucus with his current thinking, PET would have kicked him to the curb.
London Times, Sunday, January 12th published a letter from international lawyers and law professors calling Israel's actions: WAR CRIMES.
Shhhhh, Oemissions, keep that stuff to yourself. Are you trying to undermine Michael Ignatieff's Neo-Liberal narrative on Gaza?
I clipped it from :
caravan-stoptorture.blogspot.com
The Sunday Times(LONDON)
"Lawyers: Israel's bombardment of GAZA is NOT self-defence: its a war crime."
Sorry... don't know how to link like you guys do.
I always wonder why these guys in the Canadian "media" get paid just to give their opinion.
I now refuse to feed them.
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