Gutsier than I thought
In my enthusiasm over the Prime Minister's plan to use his airplane to help get 120 Canadians home from Lebanon, I didn't consider just how dangerous this could be:
Harper’s status is that of a Head of Government. Head of Governments make tempting targets for assassination, particularly if they’ve made statements in support of Israel’s side during the current fracas.
If I were on Harper’s security detail, confronting the idea of evacuating more than a hundred total strangers from an area where the odds of terrorists being around are high … let’s just say I’m going to make it damn well clear to this politician, in words of one syllable, that he’d better not be risking his life (not to mention those of his entourage) for a lousy photo op.
No doubt the 120 people who will get on the plane will be carefully vetted, but it's also true that there are not too many places to hide when you're in an airplane over the Atlantic should someone get on the plane with designs on the prime minister.
One of the terror suspects arrested in Toronto wanted to behead Stephen Harper (at least, according to the suspect's lawyer). The prime minister joked that he would only be worried if the threat came from the Conservative caucus.
It seems a lot more serious now.
I wonder if one or more of the "four or five staff" accompanying the Prime Minister and his wife will have those telltale bulges under their jackets -- just in case.
In Afghanistan at a forward base near the fighting not for an hour but for a couple of days, then blowing off threats of decapitation, then on an airplane running the risk of a Hezbollah fighter hiding in a crowd of a hundred people pulled out of the chaos of Lebanon -- Stephen Harper is one gutsy economist!
The HARPERNATOR!
OK, that's just silly.
Skew my story on Skewz.com
Rate political news for their bias, read related stories, and leave your own skewed commentary
Search for more opinions from Canadian bloggers on these related keywords
Sphere presents related news articles and blog posts
Sphere It!
Comments
Canadian values?
Read Stephen Harper
"Hey Stephen there are some Canadians stuck in a bad place"
No problem I will order a fleet of ships and nip over on the plane and grab some"
He probably has a set of jumper cables in his government cars just in case someone needs a boost!
Move over Ryan Smith there is a new Captain Canada
Posted by: ian at July 19, 2006 05:31 PM
Hey, if any PM Canada has had can pull off Harrison Ford's role in Air Force One, it's Harper.
All the same, I hope this has been thought through. It may not be such a good idea. Even if all five 'staff' are RCMP there's still some risk with one hundred people loaded onto a plane under chaotic conditions.
If they vet the passengers carefully, they could wind up facing accusations of discrimination against somebody or other - actually, that will probably happen regardless of how they choose who to take.
Posted by: Ontario Conservative at July 19, 2006 07:46 PM
The PM could just take his hand full of reporters back with him, but that would probably get the environmentalists in an uproar.
Posted by: Paul MacPhail at July 19, 2006 08:49 PM
I hope that the security people who are letting this lot into Canada and especially onto the PM's aircraft check the watermarks on each page of their passports. Not 3 maple leaves and you are gone for good.
Posted by: Pissedoff at July 19, 2006 09:38 PM
Ja, he's doing the the right thing now. I think he should follow it up with a frank admission that the length and violence of this conflict caught him and his cabinet by surprise.
I really think that a lot of people respect a guy that can admit to his mistakes and (most importantly) learn from them.
Posted by: Albert4 at July 19, 2006 10:29 PM
Alberta4, the violence of the (most recent) conflict was unforeseen completely. the length? freakin decades if not centuries. IMO PMSH has made no mistakes and has done much much more than any previous guvmnt would have. hell, the Libs are on the side of the enemy, remember PMPM wining and dining the tamil tigers? google paul martin tamil dinner...good stuff
Posted by: kelly at July 19, 2006 10:55 PM
What if Harper takes another flight home, and just sends the plane?
Actually though, I think it's just silly to seriously think that people being rescued would bother storming security to kill our PM.
Posted by: Saskboy at July 19, 2006 11:56 PM
It was/is gutsy. No doubt about it.
What will disappoint me is if we find out later he blasted off on a different jet...
He and the Israeli leader had a phone confab earlier, along the lines of: hey, I am getting out of Dodge and I expect no trouble, capice?
So, let's get those people (our people) home safe and sound, and we can all fight another day.
:)
Posted by: E Ingram at July 20, 2006 12:58 AM
OT here but unusual name E Ingram, you come by it honestly? the only reason I ask is because it's my last name too. not Emma are you?
Posted by: kelly at July 20, 2006 01:38 AM
While the wisdom of the move from a governmental aspect may be questionable, on the surface, there appears to be no extant threat - non-combatant planes are not for the moment being targeted.
It sends two other, very important messages, however. 1) it signals a return to a demonstration of what real Canadian values are, not the trumped-up theatrics and hypocrisy of Paul Martin and the Liberal party (and party-lite, the NDP, the cousins you'd rather the world not know about), but what has long been a fundamental characteristic value of being a Canadian - to go do what needs to be done, simply, with what's available, when someone needs help. It's never really mattered whether you were a mail clerk, or a PM.
And 2) it demonstrates another real Canadian value - that none of us are more special than any other - Harper could buy the farm on such a junket - so? Canada would lose what appears to be turning out to be a exemplary Canadian, but it also acknowledges that Canada is full of exemplary Canadians - that someone would be there to fill the role left vacant, and the country would carry on. This has always been the Canadian way, not the Liberal brand of the "natural governing party", a term so offensive to me as a Canadian that a group of elitist trolls presume to see themselves as better, more deserving then the rest of us.
Bravo to Stephen Harper for bringing the real Canada back to the world stage. Irrespective of whether there is a photo-op in this or not, fact is, 100+ more people get a ride "home" quickly.
If it'd been Paul Martin, He'd have first had to go to London or where-ever to pick up Bono for the post-landing concert and fund raiser, before picking up the half dozen party supporters in Lebanon.
Posted by: Skip at July 20, 2006 06:29 AM
I think a surface to air missile might be a bigger risk than a terrorist on board, but where's he gonna land, Tel Aviv? From what I've read the airport in Beirut isn't useable anymore.
Posted by: Jay at July 20, 2006 07:01 AM
Jay: he's picking people up from Cyprus
Posted by: Jonny_eh at July 20, 2006 09:22 AM
Oh yah real dangerous what a man. Talks tough gets civilians killed then flies into Cyprus waits for a couple of waifs, vets them and takes off with 70 registered members of the Conservative Party. What a tough guy. I bet the In-Fight movie is Snakes on a Plane. LOL. You all need to get out more.
Posted by: Goodwin Ginger at July 20, 2006 10:28 PM
 
|
|
