Nobody wants to hear defence critic Denis Coderre holler for the referee when the Liberal record is criticized. Especially when the criticism is more than fair.
It is General Rick Hillier’s duty to report the state of Canada’s armed forces, even if he uses inflammatory language like “decade of darkness” to describe the cuts that started under the Liberals in 1994. 
Perhaps moderate language did not get the attention of Liberals in the past. And perhaps the odd bit of hyperbole is called for considering what Armed Forces families have been putting up with for the past long years.
As he told the CBC, General Hillier is “the chief of defence staff. I describe things as accurately, as clearly, as bluntly as I possibly can.”
Even though Hillier did not name the Liberals specifically, Coderre mounted his high horse. Calling the General “a prop to the Conservative party,” he added, “I’m offended today.”
Yeah, well I’m offended too. I’m offended because this Liberal thinks he can get political mileage out of criticizing a guy for doing his job. Is this the kind of politician who is left after the Liberals cleaned house? Egads. We are in trouble.
In other news, the U.S. Congress says it will not support Bush in Iraq. That’s a start. Let’s see if next Congress will refuse to support Israel in Palestine. That might be the start of a solution. While nothing about extremist politics is simple or easy, one thing is clear: the engine of Islamist extremism is the western world’s oppression of Palestine.
