Do you feel that you have been getting mixed messages from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) lately? It is like watching a fast-paced hockey game. The puck and the teams keep changing ends. From a hawkish stance a week ago, we are now seeing a more reticent Prime Minister and PMO staff. It seems that war with Syria has moved to a back burner. And it was not cooler heads in Canada that made the difference. It was the combination of a vote in the British Parliament and a smart move by U.S. President Barack Obama.
After all, how could an Anglophile such as Harper be condoning a war against Syria when the Mother of Parliaments has voted against it? The fact that a group of Tory backbenchers voted against Brit Prime Minister David Cameron’s wanting to retaliate against Syria changed positions in other parts of the world.
What was thought to be a fait accompli earned an overnight note of caution. The dogs of war were given a time out. President Obama was forced to spread the blame. Losing such an important ally as Great Britain carried with it a note of caution. What, he reasoned, might work is to force the Republicans in his impossible Congress to face their supporters and either go along with him against the Syrians or give him a way out.
His solution is to take Syrian reprisal for using chemical weapons to Congress. Let them authorize it. If they say yes, he is vindicated and goes to war without sanction of the United Nations or his European allies. If the Congress says no, he has kept his word and it is Congress’ fault that he could not carry out the promised reprisals. This is a win-win for Obama.
And what is Harper going to do? His mouthpiece Andrew MacDougall tells the media that Mr. Harper is going to speak severely to Russia’s Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit next week. This is if the Russian President will give him an audience. One would expect that at any private meeting, the Russian bear is going to listen to Harper impatiently while the Canadian explains the situation as he sees it in Syria. He also intends to complain about Russia’s treatment of homosexuals. When he is finished his statement, Putin is liable to growl: “So what are you going to do about it, sweet cheeks?”
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Copyright 2013 © Peter Lowry
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