September 5, 2006
SOUND LIKE ANYONE?:
Harper rewrites book on being PM: He rarely retreats, never explains (Susan Delacourt, 9/05/06, Toronto Sun)
Prime Minister Stephen Harper was chided by critics over the weekend for failing to properly explain to Canadians why this country is fighting in Afghanistan.Posted by Orrin Judd at September 5, 2006 8:27 AMEven a couple of supporters of Harper and the Afghanistan mission conceded on CBC Radio's Cross Country Checkup on Sunday that the Prime Minister wasn't particularly good at explaining or talking to Canadians about the mission there.
But this is coming to be seen as one of Harper's signature traits — viewing communication as a one-way exercise: telling, not explaining or persuading or listening. Prime ministerial communication, as this current office-holder describes it, is all about "getting the message out," and rarely about taking any messages in.
Why would someone be confused about why they are in Afghanistan?
Posted by: RC at September 5, 2006 9:11 AMI imagine he's already said that he's in Afghanistan because he wants to help defeat Islamic terrorism and make this a safer world.
Posted by: erp at September 5, 2006 12:08 PMBut how does that further Marxism?
Posted by: lebeaux at September 5, 2006 1:17 PMHarper sensed a trap, he didn't want to say things inadvertently that would be snatched by his opponents with which to bash him. Anyway, if the block heads don't already know why Canadians are fighting in Afghanistan, no amount of explaining will help them understand. Why bother with the willfully ignorant.
Posted by: ic at September 5, 2006 2:27 PM