Angry in the Great White North

The Liberal Party position for Canada's role in Afghanistan is simple to state.  Right on schedule, in February 2009, Canadian soldiers would stop trying to stop the Taliban from taking over the country, and instead try to keep Afghanistan from slipping under the control of the heavily armed and vicious Islamic fundamentalists by building community centres.

Stephane Dion and Michael Ignatieff went to Afghanistan last week to explain to Hamid Karzai the Liberal Party plan.  But details of Stephane Dion's trip were revealed:

In a scathing letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Liberal Leader Stephane Dion called for Guergis's removal as secretary of state for foreign affairs because she sent an e-mail to journalists giving advance notice of the Liberal leadership's trip to the PRT.

"In publicly revealing in advance the itinerary of the delegation which included Deputy leader Michael Ignatieff and myself, Ms. Guergis violated the news blackout put in place for our protection, jeopardizing the security of the Afghan and Canadian military and civilian officials who welcomed and accompanied us during our trip," Dion said Thursday in a letter to Harper.

"As such, I am requesting that she be removed as secretary of state for foreign affairs and stripped of her privileges as a Privy Councillor."

Dion and Ignatieff travelled to Kandahar after first meeting Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul last weekend.

So if the Liberals form the government, the Taliban will know that all they have to do is to sit tight and not expend too many resources for the next year (perhaps less, if Stephane Dion decides that there aren't enough anti-Taliban community centres, or if a Liberal minority government depends on Jack Layton's NDP for support).  Then the Canadian troops will pack up and leave, and the Taliban can just stroll in.

So just what did Stephane Dion think the Taliban was going to do to him?  Attack Dion's convoy, drag Dion out of the APC, and then proceed to give him a medal and big hug? 

Pretty likely that's the worst that would have happened.

As for mortal danger, Stephane Dion doesn't have to worry about the Taliban.  He's far too popular a figure to be in any actual danger.