Hiding behind our military: it’s what the Conservatives do...

...when they aren’t attempting to assassinate their character.

Several instances yesterday in the House (highlights mine throughout):

(Hansard, Dec. 1, 2009)
Peter MacKay: what again is so irresponsible, so inflammatory and so false is for the hon. member to try to parse her words and suggest somehow that the Canadian military was complicit in torture, suggesting that those hard-working, honest officials and military on the ground would deliberately transfer detainees, Taliban prisoners, to Afghan authorities knowing they would be tortured. That is a backhanded way to cast aspersions on the good work being done by our military and our professional public service. That is what those members are doing.

And what words was Jennings trying to parse?  This is the exact question that drew Baird’s response:

Hon. Marlene Jennings: this is yet another new version of events from the Minister of National Defence. His version changes every day.  The Conservatives deliberately hid the fact that, for 18 months, they regularly turned Afghan detainees over even though there was a real and serious risk that they would be tortured.

    How can the Prime Minister go to China and defend human rights, particularly with respect to Tibet, when his own government is guilty of violating those same human rights?

No mention of the military or public servants.

How dumb is John Baird?

No one really knows, but he showed us again yesterday how monumentally dishonest he is and how he also draws attention to the military in respect to torture as a means of dodging the real issue.

Baird: it is interesting that the leader of the Liberal Party stands in his place and characterizes remarks made by General Gauthier.  It was his own defence critic, the member for Vancouver South, who called General Gauthier's comments before the committee morally weak and legally flimsy.

    The general is a Canadian hero. He is a Canadian hero who spent 36 years in uniform, and that is the kind of respect he gets from the Liberal Party and the official spokesman for the Leader of the Opposition. It is shameful.

 Thus implying that Canadian military heroes should not be doubted since it is disrespectful.  Remember that for what comes later.

Meanwhile, what was really said, and by who:

This is what Mr. Dosanjh said on (CTV’s Question Period Sunday): “I believe the situation now is the issue is not about who knew what and when. I think they all admit that they knew and the generals’ defence, as someone said, was morally weak and legally flimsy.”

The “someone” Mr. Dosanjh is referring to is Toronto Star columnist James Travers, who wrote in a column on Saturday: “For all its sound and fury, the counter-attack that politicians, bureaucrats and generals mounted this week was morally weak and legally flimsy.”

Mr. Baird used the column by Mr. Travers, which Mr. Dosanjh quoted from, to accuse the Liberals of being anti-military, anti-soldier, anti-war hero and by extension, anti-Canadian.

Back in the House, Ignatieff tries to get Baird to focus on the issue.  Which is pointless, since in addition to Johnny being dumber than anyone can say, he’s a partisan hyena.

Mr. Michael Ignatieff: our side of the House did no such thing. We hold General Gauthier in the highest respect.  The issue here is that all of the evidence in this affair, including that handed over to the Military Police Complaints Commission, was so heavily redacted as to be useless....We need to get to the bottom of this. Why will the government not accept that we need a judge, an independent inquiry, and full access to the documents so that we can finally get to the bottom of this affair?

Not content with falsely accusing Dosanjh of making certain statements, Baird, in his very next comment, adjusts his wingnut, ignores the question and further distorts his first lies to imply a direct attack against Gauthier -

Baird:  the leader of the Liberal Party says one thing but the facts suggest something else.   His defence critic said that this general, this Canadian war hero, was weak and flimsy.    


 What does that remind me of?...Oh yeah...The 13th Warrior -
"You dig like a dog.
"You are calling me a dog?"
"No, I said you dig like one.  Like an animal."
"So now I'm an animal?"

Lets go back to May, 2008 and see how well Baird defended a “Canadian hero who spent (30+) years in uniform.”  One of Canada’s most decorated officers, at that.  

John Baird, the environment minister, tried to shout down Liberal MP Marlene Jennings who came to Dallaire's defence and loudly applauded when 29-year-old Tory MP Pierre Poilievre suggested that Dallaire sounded like a member of the Khadr family, an insult so stupid and infantile that Anders' slur against Nelson Mandela immediately came to mind.

Incidentally, Dallaire’s words in reference to international rights of child soldiers apply to this case as well:

"If you want black and white, and I'm only prepared to give it to you," (Dallaire) responded. "You're either with the law or not with the law. You are not allowed to go against (international) conventions and if you do, you're going down the same road as those who absolutely don't believe (in the law)."

So...what are you saying, guys?  Looking into allegations of wrongdoing is taboo if it can be in anyway connected to the military, even if they were not the ones covering things up?  And retired generals are god-like beings whose word must never, ever be questioned because to do so is un-Canadian?

Unless, of course, the retired general happens to be a Liberal Senator who is very much interested in uncovering the truth and applying international rights - even to those some Canadians may not like.  

In what has been an increasingly testy parliamentary debate season, Tory MPs Jason Kenney, Pierre Poilievre and John Baird spent last week attacking Liberal Senator Dallaire over his strongly worded criticism of the government's handling of Canadian child-soldier and Guantanamo-prisoner Omar Khadr.

...Kenney compared the most decorated Canadian soldier of his generation to a "mob of wacky protesters." A day later, John Baird, the environment minister, tried to shout down Liberal MP Marlene Jennings who came to Dallaire's defence and loudly applauded when 29-year-old Tory MP Pierre Poilievre suggested that Dallaire sounded like a member of the Khadr family, an insult so stupid and infantile that Anders' slur against Nelson Mandela immediately came to mind.

Harper's bunch are scum.  Every last one of them, even those who keep silent throughout this when they cannot help but be aware of the use of the troops as a diversion.  Hell, they all get the speaking notes.  Anyone of them could stand up, do what's right and support an inquiry, but cowardly and politically ambitious as they are, they sulk home to their families with their hyena slink and pretend they are virtuous people who care about honesty, transparency, and human rights.

Yeah, sure.  You just go ahead and tell your families that.