worth the wait (well - maybe not entirely)

Obviously the real issue here is how long this was in coming. That's not something I would refute. It really made no sense in the first place. It only became stranger when his campaign was so completely and bizarrely unresponsive to the public fallout that was being created. To release something now only makes the whole thing more bizarre and troubling.

Nevertheless, this is the best statement issued by any politician in Canada. He doesn't waste much space with a superfluous argument about how Israel has a right to defend itself from terrorism. He rather assumes this from the outset. If we could all do the same we'd save a lot of time.

Neither does he play any post-modern games. He places the blame for the conflict's eruption squarely on Hezbollah's shoulders. However, he doesn't stop here. Instead he recognizes the real issue that exists beyond this fairly straightforward assignment of responsibility. That is - that Israel needs to think of more than simply its justification. If the loss of Humanity in Lebanon is not apparently negative enough, than its significance is expressed purely in terms of how damaging it is to Israel ultimately. This is an argument rooted in real politik rather than human security, but it is done so in an effort to find an audience. This spirit is conveyed in the statements of most of the others, but there is a commendable degree of clarity here.

Secondly, he is more clear than others on Canada's role. He acknoledges our practical restraints, and offers a plan based on our capacity.

When I read this, I see more than I did in the statements of most others. I hear echoes of Janice Gross Stein, Ignatieff's friend and fellow giant head. But, as I say, its content needs to take a back seat to its incomprehensible delivery.

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Tonight I deliver a speech to a bunch of older Greater Ipperwash area white people about how the Six Nations occupiers at Caledonia are merely upholding law and order. Pray for my soul.