harper is a liar

Really.  He didn’t miss-speak, he didn’t make a mistake.  He lied.  (emphasis mine)

November 11, 2010: "I think if we can continue a smaller mission that involves just training, I think frankly that presents minimal risks to Canada, but it helps us to ensure that the gains that we've made," Harper said.

But then, Master Corporal Byron Greff and 16 others working with the NATO training mission were killed on Saturday in a suicide bomb attack in Kabul.  Byron Greff was young, well-liked, and recently became a father.  Steve had to bull-shit his way around last year’s fluffing off of risks.   Can't really go on about "minimal risks" when grieving family and friends don't consider their personal loss minimal.

So...Ministry of Truth time... 

October 30, 2011: “Any mission in Afghanistan involves significant risk. … Any presence in Afghanistan, as I know from my own travel there, is fraught with risk, so there will remain risk to our defence personnel.” – harper

Did he realize he was wrong?  Had he been unaware of how dangerous training missions can be?  Not according to what he now says - 

Harper insisted Sunday his position on the mission's risks hasn't changed. "I think, actually to the contrary, I've always been clear: There are still risks involved in this mission," he said.

Last year, he tried to downplay the dangers real live human beings – our troops - would be exposed to with the training mission so that the extension would not have to be put to a vote.

“As the Minister of National Defence, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and others have said, we are looking at a non-combat mission that will occur. It will be a training mission that will occur in classrooms behind the wire in bases. – harper, nov. 2010

Sounds pretty safe, doesn’t it?  Classroom, behind the wire...students probably bring them apples.

Ina briefing to a recent parliamentary committee, Brigadier-General Craig King said Kabul is “extremely violent” and a “high-risk” location for the Canadian trainers. His testimony came on the heels of an attack on the U.S. embassy and nearby NATO base that lasted 20 hours and in which seven people were killed and 19 wounded by insurgents.

Greff was stationed around operations in Kabul and two other cities.

harper lied.  He can't be trusted.  He'll say whatever he thinks will keep him up in the polls.  And sad to see, 30% of Canadians  buy his bull-shit.

Asked to judge the leaders on trust, competence and vision for the country, 30.4 per cent of respondents said Mr. Harper was the most trustworthy leader, compared to 16.3 per cent for Mr. Rae and 11.2 per cent for Ms. Turmel.

The master strategist is loosing ground in one area, though:

Although, Mr. Harper is well ahead of his opponents on this front, the Nanos numbers show his score has dropped significantly since last month when 36.8 per cent said he had the best vision for Canada.  He is now at 28.9%.

Gee.  Could it be his lack of environmental policies, or his failure to forward human rights issues, or his stay the course drone, or his focus on things like the long gun registry and long form census rather than on poverty, jobs, health and safety?

Maybe it's just that people are tired of his helmet hair.  Not many seem to be reading past headlines.