At Issue, with the CBC. Geeeze

As the Afghanistan debacle sinks ever further into the quamire, Harpoon's questionable judgment and political posturing is coming home to roost.

That's the growing realization of many Canadians, except, of course, the right wing nuts the CBC has on its At Issue panel. David Bercusson, a silly, pompous political teacher at the U of Calgary, deer in the headlights Kady O'Malley of Macleans, Don Martin of the National Pisser and Alan Gregg, a premier pollster who's smarter than every Tory he's ever supported, all offered up rah rah support for the prime minister and the mess in which he has embroiled the country and the armed services.

Flying in the face of reports from all over the world, Bercusson opined that getting the Afghan government properly trained, and the army up to 75,000 well-trained soldiers who could take over from Canada in another 6 months, was all within the realm of possibility. Other governments and intelligence agencies estimate both goals are years and years away, but Bercusson, who has been a Harpoon cheerleader for years, blustered his way forward with all the confidence of a drunk on the wrong side of the road.

Gregg outlined the challenges faced by the prime minister and said Harpoon always changes his message when the current message begins to lose flavor, as he's doing now on Afghanistan.

Martin had more of a challenge, actually standing in Afghanistan, where it takes some kind of gall to play politics with the truth when the truth stands so close at hand. O'Malley was completely out of her depth and let's be kind and leave it at that.

One sat watching this puffery and wondering where the balance was and where there was someone to put the opposite view, held by a majority of Canadians. And if you don't want balance, which the cbc seems not to give a fig for, then how about getting some intelligent pomposities instead of the sad lot.

Getting into the war was a bad decision done for political gain. It was not thought out and there still is no exit plan and there is clearly no way in which Canada is going to "win" this mission, however that may be defined. WHo was there who even raised that possibility?

The most honest moment came at the very end of the session when Mansbridge asks Bercusson "has Canada ever lost a war" and Bercusson, obviously flummoxed and caught short, had to admit we never have. However, cheerleader to the end, he blustered that we hadn't lost this one although we also haven't won it and it's at least 6 months too soon to know the answer. Jesus wept.

It took Brian Stewart, one of the better journalists in the country, talking to Mansbridge afterwards, to blow the entire panel off with about 5 or 6 well thought out statements indicating just how bleak the situation is.

The only other illumination came through the juxtaposition of Harpoon's chest thumping braggadacio of days gone by - "Canada will never cut and run" - with his milqutoast statements now which are hesitant and fumbling and make it clear that Parliament will decide what Canada does. That, no doubt, is the lead in to blaming everyone but himself for the Afghan abyss. It will be Parliament which loses the war by deciding to withdraw, not Parliament doing the only sensible thing and getting our troops out of a no win situation that has already cost almost 60 young Canadians their lives.

There was a lot of talk when Harpoon took over as prime minister that the cbc's days were numbered. Given its abject pandering to the right wing, the CBC need not worry so much about Harpoon as it should the fact that its own credibility is floating away with every appearance of Andrew Coyne and twits like Bercusson and O'Malley. For gawds sake, if you're going to pander, please in future get right wing nuts who are at least entertaining and have some scintilla of knowledge about what they're saying. Alan Gregg looked uncomfortable and embarrassed and he should have - he usually has something to offer, whether one agrees with him or not. Being tied to these goof balls isn't enhancing his reputation at all.