Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

'Playing politics'

by Aaron Wherry on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 3:48pm - 17 Comments

It’s highly unlikely Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama will discuss the plight of Canadian terror suspect Omar Khadr when they meet next week.

Mr. Harper’s spokesman told The Canadian Press he doesn’t expect either leader to raise the issue of the Guantanamo Bay detainee.

Kory Teneycke derided a reintegration plan put out Wednesday by Mr. Khadr’s lawyer as nothing more than a “PR stunt” and accused the federal opposition, which is calling for Mr. Harper and Mr. Obama to ensure Mr. Khadr is returned to Canada, of “playing politics.”

Mr. Teneycke stressed that a U.S. panel is reviewing the status of detainees like Khadr who face charges, and Canada can’t interfere.

Tags: Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Guantanamo, Omar Khadr, Stephen Harper

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http://myblahg.com Robert McClelland

Can we ship Teneycke to Gitmo?

On an unrelated note, I just heard that Mark Steyn will be reappearing in the pages of Macleans in a few weeks. Is this true?

Paul Wells

Comparing the prime minister’s communications director,

to Islamofascist terrorists who would deny your rights,

while taking your life,

is an interesting parallel to say the least.

But then it’s just more of the same from today’s,

tolerant, progressive left.

http://prairiewrangler.wordpress.com/ Olaf

Kody!
Dot

Is that what Omar Khadr is? An “Islamofascist terrorist who would deny your rights, while taking your life”?

Dot

Oh, ok. Got me again.

James Connors

A decent point on extremism in general. However, are you implying, therefore, Teneycke may not be dangerous to my rights, if not in fact my life – as I have become accustomed to it?

I see no evidence nor reason why I should not be as suspicious of Teneycke and his boss Harper as I am of any Islamofascist terrorist. And I think, on my behalf and your readers’ behalf, you should be properly sceptical as well – doncha think?
Wayne

Hey Paul … What progressive left? I see no evidence of such a creature. The NDP are playing the we are against everything card so you can’t really label them as a party that stands for anything right now. The LPC hasn’t been left wing in god knows how long and Iggy’s record is about as far away from left wing as you can get without crossing the floor to the CPC. Right now as I see it canadian politics is about power plain and simple and all parties have jettisoned any and all attempts and abiding by a purely ideaological approach.

http://macleans.ca kc

I think he was speaking figuratively, as in ” regressive right”. Either that or he’s filling in for Kody, temporarily one hopes. [ not sure if i mean that at all really ]

Sisyphus

You’re having entirely too much fun.

http://macleans.ca kc

I dunno, i think Wayne’s enjoying himself too!

http://myblahg.com Robert McClelland

Teneycke would enjoy the change of pace, Paul. Besides, I hear there’s less waterboarding going on at Gitmo than there is in the PMO these days.
archangel

I worry about crypto-conservative declinist pseudo-propagandists, more than almost anything.
300baud

No, he said “Gitmo”. You know, that place in Cuba full of random brown people grabbed off the street.

Wayne

Of course he is absolutely right! The oppostion parties can afford to take the high road as it costs them nothing and they have everything to gain at this time and moment. However this changes rapidly as time moves on and numbers in the polls change consider the BQ carefully eyeballing the only real increase in Iggy’s numbers which turns out to be in Quebec. Soon Iggy will be going to war with the BQ (more than likely putting a dent in their call an election armour) at which time [parsing words will apear such as Iggy saying well I said this but if you look real closely I meant that. Layton won’t change anything as he is making hay of Stevie and Iggy having a wonderful time dating. In the meantime all of eveyone’s postions is completely irrelevant as it is up to the Yanks and is their problem to srt out and everybody knows that sooner or later Kahdr will be back and it will be our dime to clean up the mess. You can bet your last dollar the very last thing Obama will want to talk about is Gitmo. So there you have it political gamesmanship abounds.

http://macleans.ca kc

Acually Iggy’s numbers look no too bad anywhere.

john g

Guess what Aaron…it’s true. Despite your tunnel vision, and despite the fact that the Conservative position is diametrically opposite yours, the Conservatives are not the only party that “plays politics” on the issue of Omar Khadr.

Dot

Yeah. The proper thing for the three opposition leaders to have done would have been to send the request to Wolf Blitzer so that he could raise the issue with Obama next time he is in the Situation Room.

Or wait fot the 10th anniversary.