Star: Mixed messages (Jean contributing to Harper's problems re: Afg'stan)

[tuvor]

Ottawa-—It's just emerging now that the most revealing moments of Hamid Karzai's three-day visit didn't unfold on the floor of a House of Commons packed with politicians and below its galleries glittering with military brass. They came, instead, at a provocatively stage-managed dinner for 20 hosted by Canada's Governor General and Commander-in-Chief Michaelle Jean.

Along with lamb and sensitively without wine, Canada's official hostess served a heaping plate of straight talk to President Karzai and his cabinet entourage. In response, the carefully selected and eclectic group of hands-on development workers, diplomats and officials got more of the same — and more than they expected.

On the table for nearly three hours last Friday night was exactly what the Governor General wanted: a full and frank discussion of the pros and cons of a worrying, complex campaign. What she delivered to her guests was significantly different from what Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Karzai spent the day selling to an increasingly skeptical nation.

Instead of bromides about a winning international effort wrestling terrorism to the ground, she artfully and apparently intentionally created the preconditions for a fundamentally disturbing conversation about the obstacles blocking the road between war and peace, destruction and reconstruction.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1159566611074&call_pageid=970599119419

[Spazito]

1. Excellent article! Thanks for posting it!

I am very impressed with our Governor General, I was before reading this and her actions have only increased my positive impression.

[CHIMO]

2. Good Article

Wonder if the dinner had anything to do with Martin's evaluation and statement. And Steve's gunslinging comments while at the Francophonie Summit.

In his paranoid mind he must see all the guns blazing at him.