Inkless Wells

 Inkless Wells

Paul Wells on all the latest out of Ottawa—along with the occasional post about jazz. Follow Paul on Twitter: @InklessPW

Categories: Capital Read, Inkless Wells

The Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway

by Paul Wells on Friday, February 27, 2009 10:11pm - 35 Comments

strangelove

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  • Jody

    Brilliant. We’ll Meet Again.

  • robert

    Beautiful! (He probably won’t get it.)

  • Sisyphus

    All is well under the Dome. And that Gateway will be oh so stimulatin’….. there’s $3B free and loose that just can’t wait to move those shovels that are oh so ready.

  • club105

    I’ll be the first to admit it: I don’t get it.

    • http://azmattressoutlet.com mattresses phoenix

      who does?

  • Paul Wells
    • James Connors

      Or:

    • Brammer

      That Peter was a master.

      Not now KATO!

  • James Connors

    . . . or as comedian Mort Sahl said about this early proponent of space travel “I aim for the stars, but sometimes I hit London.”

    Lehrer got it right: “Vunz the rockets are up, who cares v’ere they come down, that’s not my department’ sez Wernher von Braun…”

    Tom Lehrer Wernher von Braun Lyrics:

    And what is it that put America in the forefront of the
    nuclear nations? And what is it that will make it
    possible to spend 20 billion dollars of your money to
    put some clown on the moon? Well, it was good old
    American know-how, that’s what. As provided by good old
    Americans like Dr. Wernher von Braun.

    Gather round while I sing you of Wernher von Braun,
    A man whose allegiance
    Is ruled by expedience.
    Call him a Nazi, he won’t even frown.
    “Ha, Nazi Schmazi,” says Wernher von Braun.

    Don’t say that he’s hypocritical,
    Say rather that he’s apolitical.

    “Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down?
    That’s not my department,” says Wernher von Braun.

    Some have harsh words for this man of renown,
    But some think our attitude
    Should be one of gratitude,
    Like the widows and cripples in old London town
    Who owe their large pensions to Wernher von Braun.

    You too may be a big hero,
    Once you’ve learned to count backwards to zero.
    “In German oder English I know how to count down,
    Und I’m learning Chinese,” says Wernher von Braun.

    Lyrics: Wernher von Braun, Tom Lehrer

    • http://macleans.ca kc

      Bravo James!
      ” Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down?
      That’s not my department, ” says Werner von Braun.
      Clasic!
      That poem is going up on my wall.
      Thanks.

    • Critical Reasoning

      I’ll second kc! Thanks, James Connors, for posting Tom Lehrer’s lyrics for Wernher von Braun. If anyone wants to check out Lehrer’s performances, there are plenty more available on youtube.

  • http://macleans.ca kc

    It’s unfortunate for Mckay that the commander of Norad does know what he’s about, and fortunate for us, God bless America!

    • Wascally Wabbit

      Right on – I thought that American General handled that Presser with the aplomb of a life time diplomat – he effectively said – it’s a storm in a teacup – without actually accusing the man that might (as a very long shot) be his future boss – of being a total ass!

  • Lord Kitchener’s Own

    You think it’s easy making distraction?

    Great tag.

  • Critical Reasoning

    As much as I like Mackay, I have to admit this is pretty funny.

  • Liz

    I’ll take Peter Sellers for $1,000,000,000 Alex.

    Who is Peter MacKay?

    • http://caiti-online.blogspot.com/ Transcanada

      Elmer MacKay’s offspring. He has done nothing of significance since grade school and should be ignored.

      • T. Thwim

        I beg to differ on that. He, pretty much single-handedly, killed the Progressive Conservative party and incidentally formed the basis for the new Conservative Party of Canada — Lying to Your Own.

  • Wascally Wabbit

    This from the man who made his name as Bluebottle and Major Denis Bloodnok!
    The man who popularized the game known as setting fire to the policeman!

  • http://myblahg.com Robert McClelland

    David Pugliese.
    The military officers I was talking to yesterday were full of kudos for Defence Minister Peter MacKay for a move that one described as “playing the media like a finely-tuned fiddle.”

    Per yesterday`s podcast, maybe the media can be saved if they start charging the Conservatives for services rendered.

    • archangel

      “The answer to what’s happening with those projects is “very little,” said one DND insider.
      – David Pugliese

      “Very little” is the response to questions about anything the Conservatives touch.

  • John W

    What’s scary is the PM joined in instead of reining in.

    Some recent clips from Harper suggest he might like to go to war with Russia, saber rattling in the best cold war fashion. Did he learn diplomacy from Barry Goldwater? Earlier he went off the rails threatening to call an election for no discernible reason. Has this guy got it all together?

    By the way, Margolis was on Newsnet yesterday saying this was a nothing story, not related to Obama, more or less routine. They didn’t enter Canada!

    • catherine

      Yes, one has to wonder about Harper and his ‘don’t even look at our airspace’ talk.

      • mjh

        The media across the country went wild with this encounter caliing it “cool”. What dummies we have reporting news in this country!! Is there nothing else to report on?

  • mjh

    Hard to believe Wells joined with the dummies in the media acrcoss the country in making this incident a big news story. Shame.

    • catherine

      Are you joking? I can’t tell. Harper said this was a serious matter and Wells posted a funny pic. Whose the dummy?

      • catherine

        whose. who’s. … need an edit button.

  • catherine

    oh, come on, Kody, don’t sell yourself short. I’m sure you will have something better than that to leave to your descendants.

    • catherine

      funny, that didn’t seem like such a non sequitur when I wrote it.

  • Derek Pearce

    “or, how I learned to stop worrying and love Belinda.”

  • C

    Pretty good, Paul. But may I suggest that the sight of Dick Cheney in a wheelchair at the inauguration last month rates a tad higher on the Strangelovian scale.

    • Derek Pearce

      I’m confused! I thought Cheney-in-a-wheelchair-at-inauguration put him on the Caballeroan scale. Maybe he’s rates on both scales?

    • http://www.jackmitchell.ca J@ck M!tchell

      Funny post by H. Hertzberg on that score.

  • http://macleans.ca kc

    Kody’s discovered that Obama has to deal with domestic politics. Hallelujah! Kody has seen the light! Only he thinks it’s still shining out of W’s rear end! Criticisim of Obama is loud enough everywhere, but apparently not loud enough to penetrate Kody’s wiiled inability to hear only what he wants to hear!

  • http://macleans.ca kc

    Look one the bright side folks, at least we don’t have NW now do we? That truly would be a terrifying thought, given the proven judgement of these guys.

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