The Liberal-Afghan Summit

Oh, those photographs, they just slaughter one with implications and nausea. There's Stephane Dion, arms thrown wide in the satisfaction of accomplishment, with Michael Ignatieff standing alongside, a painful grimace across his face. The former delusionally believing his posturing as a peace activist on behalf of our Canadian armed forces stationed there is cutting any ice with President Karzai; the latter quite understanding his quixotic mission.

I could be mistaken; Mr. Dion might be experiencing a revelation known only to him in the belief that, having visited with Hamid Karzai in Afhanistan and demonstrated his leadership credentials, the prime ministership is in the bag. As for Mr. Ignatieff he could actually be grinning ear to ear contemplating the removal of Mr. Dion from the Liberal leadership, with himself accredited to the position. Open to any kind of interpretation...take your choice.

Canada has sacrificed its 77th fighting son to this mission, along with the life of a diplomat, as well. Canadians are more than a trifle upset over the vulnerability of our troops stationed in the Kandahar region, as an integral part of NATO, whose many other partners, not relishing the blow-back from their electors, maintain their positions in safer portions of the country. Not as peacekeepers, but as experienced troops, helping to professionalize the fledgling Afghan army and police corps.

And aiding in the building of needed civic infrastructures. Maintaining the peace, withal. Although true peace is not to be had in that country, where only yesterday Taliban insurgents managed to breach the security of Kabul from which to launch an attack. In a luxury hotel housing foreign dignitaries, throwing grenades at its gates, firing ingress into the high-walled compound. Satisfaction achieved in the killing of security guards and a reporter.

"We're here", said Mr. Dion grandly to Mr. Karzai "to see what needs to be done after 2009". How perfectly magnanimous; if he is elected prime minister of Canada, Mr. Dion indicates our troops will be pulled out of harm's way, to re-locate to a mellower provincial geography for the beaming purpose of assisting with construction projects. Although, as prime minister, he will allow the troops to return fire if attacked.

Parroted Mr. Ignatieff: "We understand you can't do development without the security." Well, actually, no. Remember back when, Mr. Ignatieff, when you approved Canada's military presence in Kandahar, and voted for its extension? That was then, this is now, right? Mr. Karzai, understandably, was not dreadfully impressed with the proposal placed before him. He considered, he rejected. Not for him to reject, to be sure.

But he did state forcefully - and with great hope that the current government in Canada will be a lasting one - of the need to continue battling terrorism; that the government in Afghanistan has a need for troops to assist it in actually fighting the Taliban insurgency - for which assistance they are most grateful. Fact is, they are grateful to all NATO troops, but before construction of needed infrastructure can commence everywhere, territory must be secured - accomplished only by routing the Taliban conclusively.

And, comments Jack Granatstein, Canada's premier military historian, of the visit of the two wanna-bes "It was as if they had carefully arranged to not allow any evidence on the ground to affect anything they had already said. It was, I guess, so they could say, we have been there", to their detractors, most notably the Conservative government whose investiture in the mission they keep challenging.

And Canada through its series of governmental decisions made in full sensibility of the conditions and the alternatives should the mission fail, has pledged to assist Afghanistan. For as Senator Romeo Dallaire has explained it is the mission of our forces to alleviate the conditions imposed upon the people of Afghanistan by Islamist fundamentalists. To lift the burden of poverty and deprivation of the women and children.

Canadian troops are dedicated, they suffer the agony, pride and determination of those whose mission is to serve the cause of freedom and justice. And they do so despite in Afghanistan : "experiencing the intensity of battle; being the cause of the destruction of villages; being able to do little to address the extreme poverty and deprivation of the children; witnessing the burden and abuse of women in this male-dominated social order; hearing the suffering and cries of the wounded, civilian and military alike; seeing the cold and cruel face of death on your enemy as well as on your comrade".

It's a hard call to make. It takes resolve and the integrity of knowing it must be done and someone has to do it. We'd all like our troops back home, intact. How much of a sacrifice of Canadian lives will signal that we've given enough? Will their sacrifice make the difference to a suffering population when everything is finally concluded?

That's a virtual imponderable, given the culture of the society, the impoverishment of the country, its vulnerability within a geography in a catastrophic vice of rampantly increasing Islamism.