from Pogge:
In the run-up to the war Harper was extremely vocal in his support for Canadian participation and displayed nothing short of contempt for the government's decision to stay out of it. While he seems to have dialed back the rhetoric, he continues to hold to that position. None of the revelations of the past year that have undermined Bush's public justification for the war seem to have made any impression on him.
With the Liberals intent on hanging their hat on Paul Martin's popularity in the upcoming election, it looks like we're going to see a campaign that's as much about leaders as about issues. That means that Harper himself becomes as much an issue as Paul Martin.
Richard Clarke is due to testify before the 9/11 commission in Washington this week, a commission that will undoubtedly attract more and more attention as the July deadline for its report approaches and as the pre-election atmosphere in the States heats up. Between the virtual fireworks in DC and the literal fireworks in Iraq it's certain that the whole issue of the war will remain very much in the public eye. And with that, Harper's position on the war will remain an issue his political opponents can use against him.
The British political opposition has a shadow-cabinet; why not a Shadow Blog for Arts & Letters Daily to help keep that estimable group on its cerebral toes? Like many people -- how many tens of thousands? -- I often start my day by browsing Arts & Letters Daily to see what the intelligentsia is up to. Sometimes I am impressed; but too often I read one of their links and my reaction is "Huh? Why point us to that piece of tripe?"