Blameless Arrogance of Politics

The Liberal party of Canada is still hobbling along, trying to cobble itself into a meaningful, thoughtful, trustworthy answer to all the problems that assail our society. Not that it hasn't had ample opportunity to prove that; occasionally it has risen to the task at hand, but far more often it has descended into the anarchy that results from too much power for far too long with the boredom of entitled supervision of the country leading to a form of corruption too blatant for the public to endure.

Which is exactly what occurred, and they're still in the political doghouse. Where they belong. Mostly because it appears that they haven't learned their lesson. Wringing their collective hands in mea culpas once caught out and tossed out, the party resolve was to create itself anew. To restore the faith of Canadians. To engage once more with forceful honesty and determination on the political scene. To forge a better country, advancing the interests of all Canadians in social justice, economic prosperity - resuming our proud place in the world's communities.

Promises come cheaply, and the delivery of hard goods extracts even more promises, and all to naught. For it's the same tired old party, pooped out and lacking the essence of political triumph. In compensation, this lame-duck party elected a recycled, tainted former cabinet minister whose vaunted experience, political capability and intellectual honesty would restore that lost lustre. All of a sudden, all the important matters that the old Liberal government failed to address convincingly, preferring to rest on its laurels of promises, have become, in opposition, the holy grail of attainment.

All of a sudden, firm management of the country's economy, its justice and penal system, its balance of the provinces' needs, its international relations, its commitment to environmental causes loom large in a frame of disappointment and failures. The Liberal party, eager to resume its governing position, points the finger of blame at a year-old Conservative party whose own governance has been launched as an antidote to the sloppy mismanagement of the Liberals.

Now the country is mired in a public discussion about human rights and culpability of our Canadian troops fighting against terrorist insurgents in Afghanistan, delivering Taliban prisoners to Afghan government troops where it is alleged they may be undergoing some rough treatment. Formerly, the accusations and condemnations launched by the opposition parties, led by the Liberals centred on the dismay that our commitment to NATO and Afghanistan had us deploying our troops in that country to begin with.

Oh dear, how handily can be overlooked the truth when political demagoguery is unleashed. It was, of course, former Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien who sent Canadian troops under NATO into that theatre of war. It was another Liberal prime minister, Paul Martin, who extended that mission in Afghanistan. But when the Conservative-led government under Stephen Harper further committed Canadian troops to the NATO mission - responding to pleas from the government of Afghanistan - censure loud and clear was heard in the House of Commons.

That was followed by the absurd navel-gazing of a developed society steeped in respect for human rights under a social democratic umbrella suddenly horrified at the possibility that Canada might, somehow be, albeit innocently, engaged in a war situation in a former theocratic dictatorship whose tribal wartime traditions might include torture as a form of ungentle admonishment. The alleged torture of some Taliban prisoners at the hands of Afghan military has sullied Canada's reputation by association.

Suddenly the public is in open discussion, the House of Commons is alight with condemnation and hostile rhetoric against the government for allowing Canada's reputation as a firm upholder of the rights of humankind to be sullied. And the Liberal opposition is shrieking hysterically that it is all the fault of those dastardly Conservatives. Well look here, no surprise - documents reveal that it was indeed the former Liberal government which gave assent to Canadian military handing off of captured Taliban to the host country's military.

That there might conceivably be a problem relating to prisoner abuse was also a matter raised at that time, but it appeared to elicit no great concern, either from the-then Minister of Defense, Bill Graham, or his Prime Minister, Paul Martin. Both of whom signed off on the government-to-government agreement which included that Canada planned to negotiate an agreement with the Afghan government spelling out 'explicit undertakings' with respect to detainee treatment. So what happened?

The Liberals appear to be besotted with their place in the history of this country. They appear also, under the leadership of Stephane Dion, determined to bring down the Conservative government with the device of mislabelling government mishandling and misadventures having their origins with the previous Liberal governments.

Long may they dwell in the hard-earned obscurity of second-place.