jdobbin

ABC News is reporting that Israel is having a hell of a time advancing into Lebanon and the fighting is fierce. Israeil commanders are reporting to Israeli news outlets that there is poor intelligence hampering their advances. Having said all that though, the U.S. has lost more soldiers (24) in Iraq in the last 13 days than Israeli soldiers and Iraq has lost more civilians (500+) that Labanonese civilians killed. http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/

Bush keeps getting hit with these. Wonder if one will stick. http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/07/24/law...h.ap/index.html

I think I was reading that every two term President have lost substantial amounts of seat in their sixth year of office. I think that will dictate whether there are votes within Congress to oppose the President.

Every situation requires a different kind of leadership. In the U.S., Bush has gotten quite a lot of support for being decisive. But that has also been his weakness. His shoot from the hip style and not admitting that he is wrong some of the time has caused problems. Moreover, once the decision have been made and has proved incorrect, he justifies it by changing what the original motivation of the decision was. Such has been the situation in Iraq. Harper made a decisive call in supporting Israel. He spoke too soon on a "measured response" because it remained to be seen whether that was going to be the case. The evacuation has been marked by the lack of a clear message in part because the bureacracy has been in conflict with the minister or PMO on letting Canadian citizens know how and when they will be rescued. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/23072006/2/nati...th-lebanon.html As to Iraq, I have no idea how one puts less emphasis on stories or images from there. It is costing a lot in lives and money. It's a legitimate story and not covering it is as much a political call as covering it is.

I know what point you are making about consensus but it isn't leadership. Harper made a decision. Didn't wait for consensus. Shouldn't have had to based on the speed needed for a clear reponse. It is the opposition's duty in our system to be critics of the policy and point out the flaws. This is why they call it Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. They are there to support the system and to criticize the government's policy and be ready to step in a take over when needed. As for the evacuation, there were Canadian citizens involved. Lots of them. To Canada it wasn't a small part of the overall issue. I don't think Harper himself knew the scope of the problem until the sheer numbers were there to confront him. I don't think anyone expected it. And yes, the government could be judged based on how they handled the new revelation and what they did in response. As for Iraq, I think the problem isn't so much about the images of war being seen as failure but the policy that put the solders there in the first place. The United States has seen this type of carnage daily in years before such as World War 2. However, back then the messaage was clearer, the enemy more defined and the goal better understood. This isn't the case in Iraq.

There is a lot you mentioned. I'll address it a bit at a time. I think Detroit, Atlanta has a large black population but is less diverse than say Toronto is already. And while Los Angeles is as diverse or moreso than Toronto, it has a very reapidly growing Latino population that is influencing the look and feel of what the city will be in the future. In other words, it is becoming a dominant culture there through sheer numbers. I don't know that Toronto has a dominant culture arriving in big numbers daily that can change the shape of diversity that the city already has now. In other words, I don't see Chinese languages becoming the third language over Indian languages because there won't be that many more Chinese over Indians settling in Toronto. Daily business will still be in English overall because it will be the common language. In 2017, I think some of the key numbers to look for in the census in 2020 will be how many people list themselves only a "Canadian." After all, what would you call a German Canadian who marries a Chinese Canadian who have a child that marries an Indian? At some point, you call yourself a Canadian because you run out of hyphens.

It is estimated that the Interstate highway system in the U.S. has saved nearly 250,000 lives since 1956. And it has also saved time and earned trillions for America as a whole. Some say that Eisenhower was motivated to build the system when he part of one of the largest military convoys in the United States that was tasked to being supplies from one coast to the other during World War II. It took them 60 days to do it. It is unlikely that a private road system could be as effective since they generally only work in high density areas. Canada needs this type of public investment from east to west and north to south. Something like it could change the whole dynamic of trade in Canada in ways the railways once did.

This is the way politics has always been. There has never been a "golden period" nor is the system set up in Canada to be a consensus building effort. It is set up as a government and a opposition. If the issue is the war itself, what can't the evacuation be part of the debate? Part of the reason the United States is in Iraq is because there was a consensus. It was a consensus of fear, anger and misconception about who posed and immediate threat to the United States and who should be dealt with forthwith. The opposition in the United States didn't do it's job. The critics didn't make tbeir case for why Iraq might be better left encircled rather than occupied and forced with regime change. In short, we need the armchair critics and personal stories to make the issue understandable rather than something distant as if out of a video game. It might be messy but it means the system is working.

Canada doesn't have good enough inter-provincial and international crossings for trade. The U.S. Interstate program started by Eisenhower wasn't meant soley as a traffic problem to be fixed. It was considered important for trade, safety, efficiency and speed. I am all for public transit and bike trails but aren't those more urban issues rather than national and international issues?

I was worried about Pakistan earlier in this post. This story just posted on Newsweek today on the Taliban in Pakistan. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13990130/site/newsweek/ A bit scary.

This is a traditional problem for nations that buy military products from one nation and then can't find parts for them when there regimes fall out of favour. Can't say I'm not surprised.

So what do you see the environment being like in Canada in 2017?

I think it was Angus Reid's take on the Leger poll that came out. Reid no longer does polling himself.

Casinos have been making less money this year cross Canada. It is quite possibly as a result of no smoking legislation. The Feds already raised taxes on cigarettes and alcohol. PST rates are already pretty high for some provinces. Alberta still doesn't have one. Not does it have a revenue problem. I could go for a tax increase if it was all going to roads but it generally goes to general revenue.

There were a lot of things said in that election. Icebreakers and an Arctic port were mentioned as well. As I recall, while there was criticism of some of the proposals by various parties, it was some military think tanks in the States that were mostly dismissive of the carriers and Arctic port and icebreakers. They said, quite rightly, that Canada needed heavy lift helicopters for the military to replace the ones the Conservatives sold to the Dutch. They also said Canada needed supply ships, which the Liberals had already begun the procurement process for. Likewise, the C-130s were already in progress. As far as speedy purchases go, the Liberal government quickly replaced the Conservative purchased Iltis jeeps for G-Wagons. As I said, the Liberals under Chretien had a long period of decline but Martin's cabinet began to reverse alot of that. Anyway, this discussion was on how fast two Navy ships could be deployed once notified. The answer is 48 hours. They are still on 48 hours notice. If the crisis is over by Tuesday then they probably weren't necessary. If there is still an evacuation issue going on, why weren't they released this past Monday? There are a lot of people responsible for the condition of the Forces now.

The Orca link you gave does mention the coastal patrol function. It will free up frigates and patrol/minesweepers for other duties. While the Navy still needs improvements, it is not considered the weak area as far as Canada's military is concerned. That distinction falls to the Airforce which has seen a massive decline in operating aircraft. The Army comes next in terms of immediate need with the Navy coming last. I still haven't heard what Harper intends with the two ships on standby. I can only speculate but they might be asked to take part in some way. I guess we'll know by tomorrow. I won't get into the debate about where military contracts are awarded to. Winnipeg got burned on that with Mulroney.

Enough to keep me in the Writers Guild for sure.

Still, the longer this goes on and the bigger the displacement, the probability increases that the deaths will rise sharply. Israel must realize this as they have eased the naval blockade somewhat. Bush warned Israel not to topple the government of Lebanon but it might be too late for that. Who knows. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13988981/site/newsweek/ There could be a lot of sectarian violence again. Another U.N. official speaks on what is happening. http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/200.../un-beirut.html I think this is also why Israel is talking about an international force put in southern Lebanon. They know what happened the last time they stayed for a while. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13929959/

Tough call. He will increase his percentage of votes in seats already won and likely not gain enough of a percentage in seats he might need for a majority elsewhere. No win situation.

Probably true. I just got in from the beach and caught it on TV as I stepped in. Ah, holidays...

I thought that Harper said he was going to call a vote but not actually change the law. Was I wrong on that?

Some news organizations are starting to report again that Israel might be looking at letting an International Force into Southern Lebanon comprised of Europeans and Canadians. It was mentioned earlier this morning on CNN and now there seems to be some more information coming out of Israel itself. Anyone else getting word on this?

Or any Canadian television for that matter. You could argue, there should be no Cancon committments or foreign ownership restrictions on radio and TV and let them join with bigger companies in the U.S. It would be good for shareholders in Canada.

Why going wussy when you could do what Brazil used to do in 1980s? Kill the street people.

There probably wouldn't be any tears either if CTV and Global were part of NBC and FOX.