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October, 2004 Archives

October, 29, 2004 - Below is an image from an ad the Bush campaign has just released.  As the story goes:

Isn't it a wonder that in this "candid" moment, Bush had the foresight to look directly at the camera and provide a solemn look of concern.

Using the the pain of a girl who lost her mother in the 9/11 attacks as fodder for a political advertisement is just sickening.

October, 29, 2004 - George W. Bush - the truest of "quotes."

October 29, 2004 - Discussing the NDP's huge by-election win in Surrey, the disturbing civilian death toll in Iraq, and Alfonso Gagliano's bitter yet true statements about Paul Martin and Quebec. (click here to continue) Also:

October 29, 2004 - 2 government members commenting on government officials making off the cuff comments in public:

It's "hard to believe" that a senior official in the government would say such a thing.

They "should be extremely circumspect about their comments and that private views ought not be expressed by public officials in such places."

Are these in reference to the stupid and offensive comments current PMO Director of Communications Scott Reid spoke about Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams (comments that he has now apologized for)? No, these statements were made in reference to Francoise Ducros, who was Jean Chretien's Director of Communications when she called George W. Bush a moron.  Ducros was eventually forced to resign.

And the people that delivered these abovementioned criticisms?  None other than Prime Minister Paul Martin and MP Roger Galloway, a long time Martin supporter.

Hmmmm...one can only wonder if the same kind of logic applies now that the shoe is on the other foot.

October 28, 2004 - Something smells fishy about Vancouver City Councillor Sam Sullivan's claim in the Vancouver Sun this morning.

In the article, Sullivan asserts that he "spent about $45,000 of his own money to help finance the recent anti-wards campaign."  He also claims that he personally is facing further fines and accrued legal expenses over the decision to place advertisements with 4 media outlets on the day of the plebiscite, which is illegal.

So Sullivan makes $50,000 a year from his duties as a city councillor, and then puts 90% of this towards the anti-ward campaign?

This latest spin seems very suspect, particularly when considering the widely speculated notion that the "no" side had almost 3 times the budget that the pro-wards coalition had available.  The composition of the "no" campaign was substantially backed by business interests and traditional (and wealthy) NPA supporters.

Now, TDH Strategies fully acknowledges that until both sides publish their list of donors (not a requirement unlike a civic election), the guessing game over where the money came from can be considered little more than wild speculation.

That being said, with Sullivan already buffering his pledge to reveal donors with the disclaimer that "he has to ask everyone's permission first," could it be that the councillor is now crying poor with such a large amount of alleged debt to deflect any upcoming criticism of the pending list of names?

October 28, 2004 - It was not a good day for the Prime Minister on Wednesday.

Liberal supporters might argue that Paul Martin's political advisors and staff have been given an unfairly rough ride by the media, particularly during the disastrous election campaign headed up by Martin strategist David Herle.  But then, people like PMO Director of Communications Scott Reid open their mouths at the most inopportune times, and make those type of complaints sound utterly ridiculous.

The PM was in full damage control mode yesterday, trying to soften the blow from Newfoundland and Labrador premier Danny Williams' accusations that Martin had lied when he made a campaign promise to allow the province to keep 100% of its offshore oil and gas revenues. 

With Williams most certainly winning the public relations battle thus far (particularly back home), Martin went about granting interviews galore, meeting with members of his own Newfoundland caucus, and taking a demure tone during question period. 

So what does Reid go and say?

"The problem that the premier will have eventually is that the truth will get out.  And $1.4-billion or twice that perhaps will not end up in the pockets of Newfoundlanders for the sake of his ego and his political ploy."

"He's making a mistake of historic proportions and he's doing it on the backs of his own citizens."

Without going into a long diatribe, one communications professional has just one question for another:

WHY?

Wednesday was also tough for Mr. Martin after Stephen Harper referenced the publication by the Globe and Mail of a bombshell 1994 letter from the then Finance Minister to Claude Boulay, president of Montreal advertising agency Groupe Everest (a company that earned millions under Ottawa's sponsorship program).  In it, Martin crossed out the formalities of the typed greeting and instead wrote "Cher Claude."  He also wrote:

"The services that you offer could interest my Federal Office of Regional Development for Quebec, for which I am the responsible minister. Your letter has been transferred to my office in Montreal for its information."

It is alleged that this letter earned Groupe Everest a $50,000 contract paid from the national unity fund, a program which Martin claimed in the spring he knew nothing about.  It was also revealed that Mr. Martin has known Mr. Boulay since at least 1989, when the advertising executive did communications work for Mr. Martin as he prepared to launch his first campaign for the Liberal leadership.

Martin's response?

"I am not going to comment on daily testimony in front of the commission because it simply leads to misunderstanding."

OUCH! 

Questions, questions, questions...hopefully answers will be forthcoming.

October 27, 2004 - From yesterday:

"I trusted him, and I respected him. He came to Newfoundland during the election, and he made a commitment to us. I was expecting him to honour that commitment, and in fact he hasn't."
                                      - Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny
                                        Williams, in reference to Paul Martin

"He's lying. Of course he's lying."
                                      - Sheila Copps, in response to Paul Martin's denials
                                        regarding the claims she makes in her book

As well, it was announced that Prime Minister Paul Martin will appear before the Gomery inquiry into the sponsorship scandal to answer questions on a letter that was described yesterday as an intervention in favour of a former leadership supporter.

Question: In consideration of the fact that a pattern seems to be emerging regarding Mr. Martin's credibility and trustworthiness, how is he going to rationalize the discrepancy between this:

A document has been uncovered that details how one of Alfonso Gagliano's former aides had received a phone call from an unnamed official in Paul Martin's office to inquire why event organizers for a Montreal event had not heard from the public works department about their $600,000 request.  In reality, they had received word, and their request had been denied. According to public works records, the event organizers got $250,000 subsequent to this phone call.  The most prominent member of the group was former Montreal Canadians superstar Serge Savard, a huge Martin leadership backer, whose son was a Liberal candidate in the last election.

and this:

"[t]here had to be political direction."

"Anybody who knew about that and did nothing should resign immediately."

"If I had known about it, I would have been able to stop it."
                       
                        - All statements made by Paul Martin in February, 2004 after the
                          Auditor General blew the lid on the sponsorship scandal

October 27, 2004 - Say what you want about Jean Chretien's interpersonal skills when it came to the premiers, but the fact of the matter is that he always took control of federal-provincial negotiations.  This column by Chantal Hébert of the Toronto Star indicates that with Paul Martin, the premiers now have the option (and usually exercise this option) to wipe their feet on their federal counterpart.

October 26, 2004 - If Paul Martin thought that the health care pact he signed with the Premiers last month was easy, he certainly cannot count on the same outcome for today's first ministers' meeting on equalization after an already tumultuous morning. (click here to continue)

October 26, 2004 - TDH Strategies continues to provide readers with useful tools in which to gauge the US election:

http://www.bushrelativesforkerry.com

Hey, cousins are cousins are cousins...1st, 2nd, 3rd...it doesn't matter, because as they say, "blood is thinner than oil."

October 25, 2004 - The balance of power in the House of Commons currently rests in the hands of the independent MP for Surrey North, Chuck Cadman, as an NDP/Liberal vs. BQ/Conservative seat comparison yields a dead heat.  With Cadman now announcing the two conditions which would propel him to return to his former party, however, things could be about to change. (click here to continue)

October 25, 2004 - Couldn't have said this any better ourselves.

October 25, 2004 - The state of Florida now has its new system for voting up and running, and has provided an instructional video for the world to see that they have everything on track this time around. 

October 25, 2004 - For anyone who is familiar with Hindi movies, and is interested in seeing the Bollywood version of the upcoming US election, take a look at this. Dishoom!

October 22, 2004 - UPDATE:  Don Newman just confirmed that Paul Martin came onto his program and told him that he "would have done things differently" with regards to the Iraq war.  When pressed further, apparently, Martin wouldn't go beyond repeating the statement.

Just moments ago, Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan appeared on Newman's Politics to rebut an earlier Sheila Copps interview, including her claim about Iraq.  How utterly ironic it was, however, to see McLellan talking about how Martin had no intention of ever joining the Iraq war effort while standing in front of a prominently displayed backdrop with an American flag.

You just can't help but wonder if this was done intentionally.

October 22, 2004 - Contemplating Sheila Copps' fantastic accusations against Paul Martin, and John Kerry shoots some geese to round out his list of presidential credentials. (click here to continue)

October 22, 2004 - Paul Martin's response when confronted about the possibility of Canada's largest mining company being sold to Chinese investors was extremely weak, to the point of looking completely indifferent to the whole matter.

Sorry, but a $7 billion takeover of Noranda Inc. should require a little more examination before stating that it is:

"fundamentally . . . a good thing."

At least his Industry Minister David Emerson showed some concern about the potential deal, demonstrating his reservations over having Noranda bought by the totalitarian Chinese regime with this statement:

"I reflect on that a lot, and I'm not sure, I'm not sure.  It's a qualitatively different matter when enterprises are state-owned.  But I need to get my mind around...the China connection to what kind of precedent it might set elsewhere that we would not want to face."

Martin is now the Prime Minister, and therefore better leave behind his millionaire shipping magnate mentality, which seems to enthusiastically welcome market forces at every turn (a viewpoint buttressed particularly after reading Sheila's Copps' claims). 

Despite Emerson's assertion that the media coverage over the issue is a premature "feeding frenzy," Martin's lackadaisical attitude most definitely warrants concern on the part of the media and the general public.

October 22, 2004 - While it isn't quite as funny as their first production "This Land," JibJab's "Good to be in DC" is still a riot (John Edwards in the G-string is a particularly good look for him).

October 21, 2004 - This is an absolutely astonishing tale of the power of technology.

We have all heard about Googling someone's name before a meeting, or a date, to find out who exactly is about to be encountered.

This is quite possibly, however, the first time a search engine has saved a life. Hands down, Google has to be considered the best thing to ever happen to the Internet.

October 21, 2004 - The latest barrage of advertising extolling the virtues of BC's apparent "booming" economy (whether funded by the provincial government or close allies like the Business Council of British Columbia) surely won't be able to convince everyone that a great divide still doesn't exist within the province.

According Bill Tieleman, respected political columnist for the local Georgia Straight:

“the B.C. Liberals’ entire budget surplus this year is equal to the annual amount they have slashed from poor people, the disabled, abused children, and needed social services.” (Georgia Straight, Sept. 30, 2004)

Correspondingly, corporate tax revenues have dropped by $261 million.

So exactly how and where the BC Liberals have found the money to turn the finances of the province around is very much open to debate.

And yet, the latest polling figures released yesterday show that the NDP under Carole James has slipped to 39% since August, in contrast to the Liberals, who have gained 5% since the summer to rest comfortably at 45%.

This indicates only one thing: the NDP do not have enough of a presence, largely due to their new leader, to make significant inroads with the majority of the electorate.  James is a nice enough woman, but not someone that has the ability to inspire. 

This isn't to say that Point Grey Gordon (take a listen) fits that mould, but at the moment, he is the only leader that can bring home victory for his respective party.

October 21, 2004 - Once again, TDH Strategies will ask the question:

If Canadian pharmaceuticals aren't good enough for the American populace, then why is our flu vaccine any different?  Last week George W. Bush warned of ensuring the safety of Canadian drugs while at the same time talking about working with Canada to import flu vaccines.

Anyways, now there is news that the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority has set up a one day, American-only flu clinic in Vancouver.  Seems kind of wacky, but if the Health Authority can inject some extra cash into their coffers by appealing to what has turned into an American national obsession, then hey, why not.

Obsession, you might ask?  Well, it is very funny to watch CNN's continuing "BREAKING UPDATES" on which government officials have been vaccinated, and which haven't.  For the record, Dick has, Bush hasn't.

Now let's all pray for the "epidemic" to reach the White House.

October 20, 2004 - The Saga Continues! In response to an Op/Ed piece TDH Strategies had in the Vancouver Sun this morning, this is a further email received from Councillor Anne Roberts:

SUBJECT:   An apology is in order?

I think you owe it to Councillor Louis and myself to write a letter to the editor.  On your website, you claim you couldn't know the actions of individual councillors.  Then why did you think you could comment on them? Why didn't you ask.  It's one thing to write a private email and make claims that have no foundation.  But I'd expect someone to write a letter to the editor to be more responsible.
Regards,
Anne Roberts

To which TDH Strategies responded with:

Councillor Roberts,

Once again, you fail to grasp the criticism that many people had of the yes campaign.  If you were so active, then why didn't more people know about it?  Leadership is what this campaign needed, not simply volunteerism.  You might have worked tirelessly, but most of your efforts fell under the radar of the majority of the general public.  And, unfortunately, the lack of a profile for not only the campaign, but also the people attached to it, made a huge difference in the final outcome.

They just don't get it.

October 20, 2004 - Stephen Harper continues to employ his political strategy of taking two steps forward, then one step back, and the temporary convenience provided by the Gomery inquiry. (click here to continue)

October 20, 2004 - Michael Moore and hundreds of other political pundits, commentators, writers, etc. have accurately classified this upcoming US election as one based solely on fear.

But these remarks made by Dick Cheney yesterday are just out of this world:

"The biggest threat we face now as a nation is the possibility of terrorists ending up in the middle of one of our cities with deadlier weapons than have ever before been used against us - biological agents or a nuclear weapon or a chemical weapon of some kind to be able to threaten the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans."

You can't have it both ways, Dick.  Either your borders are safe and secure by the measures you and the President have implemented over the past 3 years, or they aren't.  Make up your mind.

Next they'll be telling US voters to hide under tables every time John Kerry appears on their television.  Utterly ridiculous!

October 20, 2004 - The Vancouver Sun gave front page exposure this morning to a new company called NavaHealth, which provides patients with the accompaniment of a nurse to medical appointments in order to be "another voice asking questions and another set of ears and eyes."

Wonderful idea, right?  Well, only until you take a look at the price.

Headed up by Elisabeth Riley, former president of B.C. Children's and Women's Hospital, NavaHealth will charge patients $100/hour to help them navigate their way through what the company refers to as "the maze of their medical system."

This is gauging at its worst, made even more disgusting by the company's guise that they are providing a crucial service for patients.  As someone who lost her job because of the financial pressures of the system (internal reorganization), and also as a medical administrator who specifically dealt with women and children (segments of the population with statistically less financial resources available to them), you'd think that Riley would have a little more compassion in constituting the parameters of her venture.

This is a private enterprise, and thus no one is forced to pay these rates. Nonetheless, charging such exorbitant amounts ensures that this is simply another service for the rich, having absolutely nothing to do with concern for patients in need.

October 19, 2004 - The federal opposition parties make a significant impact with their amendments to the Speech from the Throne, and discussing Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell's political future. (click here to continue)

October 19, 2004 - In response to Bell Canada's successful $200 million sponsorship bid for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, which dwarfed his company's bid by $65 million, Telus VP for Strategic Solutions Rob Cruickshank responded with:

"I believe they bought the sponsorship."

Wow...you mean, sponsoring an event actually involves the exchange of money?  Shocking!

October 19, 2004 - P.O.V. of the Week: TDH Strategies received a letter from regular reader John Gaspardy, which relayed his opinion on both Councillor Roberts' and Councillor Louis' comments below.  The following excerpts particularly ring true:

Regrettably both letters in your commentary clearly indicate that neither Councillor seems to understand the difference between volunteerism and leadership. The Yes side desperately needed a focal point around which to rally, much like Councillor Sullivan did for the No side.  It was therefore incumbent upon those who proposed the referendum to take on such a role.

It was up to the leadership of the Yes side to get the message out. It was in this that Councillors Louis and Roberts failed, however hard they may have worked for the cause.

TDH Strategies couldn't have said it any better.

October 18, 2004 - UPDATE: In response to today's commentary on the wards vote, here are some responses from Councillor Tim Louis and Councillor Anne Roberts:

Just to let you know that I campaigned tirelessly for the yes side, in favour of wards.  I probably spent more time campaigning than any other member of Council, with the exception of Councillor Anne Roberts.  On weekends, I was at the corner of Broadway and Main handing out yes literature and collecting names of people in support of wards.  I believe that I collected more names of people in support of wards than any other member of Council.  My law office donated an office (including a computer and free use of a photocopier) to the yes campaign for their use free of charge throughout the entire campaign - September 1st to October 16th.  I paid for a cell phone for the main campaign organizer Mel Lehan.  On behalf of the yes side, I attended debates on the ward plebiscite.  I did all this while maintaining my very busy law practice and all the duties of a City Councillor.  

Tim Louis
Vancouver City Councillor

Effort?  I have hardly had an evening or even a moment free since the ward campaign began.  I not only spent every moment doing what I could to win the vote, but I donated as much money as I could.  I know hundreds of others who donated evenings to doing phoning and donated money to pay for the campaign. Please, don't talk to me about effort.  There's no question that the yes side had the volunteers and the organization.  It was the No side that had the money to do the advertising and hire the firms that identified and got out the No vote.  Of course, we made mistakes.  Like you, I feel sad, very very sad.  But I don't think it helps to look for someone else to blame.

I liked your five reasons (http://www.tdhstrategies.com/october15).  I hope you circulated them widely.  Now, we have to find others ways to make this city more democratic.  That battle isn't over.

Regards,
Anne Roberts
Councillor, City of Vancouver

Fair enough...there is no possible way that TDH Strategies could know about the specific efforts that either individual put behind this campaign, and in this regard, TDH fully acknowledges the apparent mistake.

However, it can be said that the anti-wards side, regardless of budgeting, did a much better job of taking the high profile resources/personalities they had on board (however odd they might have been) and disseminating them to the general public.

Let's hope that as Councillor Roberts argues, the battle isn't over.

October 18, 2004 - Well, the anti-ward forces look back triumphantly at every person in Vancouver who picks up a Vancouver Sun this morning:

and the pro-ward side have no one to blame but themselves.

The ruling COPE party ran and won convincingly in 2002 on a platform to bring a ward electoral system to Vancouver.  There was a real hunger for change, and COPE councillors and the Mayor himself were the beneficiaries.

Yet, upon getting to office, many of the previously vocal councillors on the ward issue clammed up and disappeared from the debate.   This was largely due to the fact that power is more easily maintained by the current at-large system.  This lackadaisical attitude was indicative of the entire campaign, which remained completely hidden from the public until September, with a month to go before the plebiscite.

So, with the exception of Mayor Larry Campbell, the most active, and really only vocal advocate on council was Councillor Sam Sullivan, one of the NPA's survivors from last election's massacre, who headed up the anti-ward campaign.

This wasn't about who had more money, resources, or political backing. This was simply about effort, or lack thereof.

Where was Councillor Anne Roberts?  Where was Councillor Tim Louis? It is clearly obvious that in Vancouver municipal politics, regardless of party or ideology, protecting your job far supersedes the principles one might have espoused in trying to reach that lofty employment.

October 18, 2004 - When they say that the whole world wants George W. Bush to lose, they aren't kidding:

http://www.betavote.com

October 18, 2004 - ♪♫ "The wheels on the bus are falling off, falling off, falling off..." ♫ ♪

For a man that reportedly thrives on the international stage, Martin sure looked like a rookie last week:

Martin Insignificant on the World Stage

And for a man that was going to supposedly empower his MPs, it sure seems like he has done a half-assed job:

Martin Tries To Quell Parliamentary Secretary Revolt

And for a man that rode to office on a leadership platform of democratic reform, it sure seems like the rhetoric won't necessarily be practiced:

Martin Allows Missile Vote in House; Won't Follow it if Defeated

And on, and on, and on.  But like a traffic accident, you can't help but slow down and watch.

October 15, 2004 - The TDH take on the City of Vancouver's ward referendum taking place tomorrow. (click here to continue)

October 14, 2004 - Two quick notes this morning.

First, George W. Bush told Americans in last week's debate that he had prevented the importation of cheaper Canadian drugs in order to ensure that they were safe for use.  He went on some diatribe about the FDA approval process, and how Canada was subject to the same reviews as any other country.

Isn't it funny then, that when questioned in last night's debate about the severe shortage of flu vaccines available to the public, Bush spoke about how he "was working with Canada" in order to find a solution.  In fact, local Vancouver-based flu vaccine maker ID Biomedical is in talks with the US government to sell approximately 1.3 million doses, IN SPITE of their vaccine not being licensed by the FDA (this particular strand is used freely both by federal and provincial health authorities in Canada).

For the record, Bush probably (and unfortunately) connected more with the American public than his opponent John Kerry.

Secondly, even though this is unrelated to politics or current affairs, this is something that everyone should check out.  TDH Strategies finds it breathtaking, and is one of the most amazing uses of the Internet this website has ever seen.

October 13, 2004 - Back in April, the infamous Chuck Guité testified in front of the public accounts committee, and dropped a bombshell by stating that:

“There were many contracts with a local company, Earnscliffe, and I had interference from a minister's office, the Finance Department, which was Mr. Martin's office...” (click here to read the full article)

At the time, Scott Reid, Martin's spokesperson and now Director of Communications for the PMO, stated that Mr. Guité's accusations could not "be taken at face value."  This in spite of Paul Martin's famous declaration in February that:

"I know as well that some can't understand how as a Quebec minister I could not have known about the conduct of this program. The fact is that very few Quebec ministers did." 

One wonders if he is still determined to stick to that story in light of yesterday's revelations at the Gomery inquiry.

A document has been uncovered that details how one of Alfonso Gagliano's former aides had received a phone call from an unnamed official in Paul Martin's office to inquire why event organizers for a Montreal event had not heard from the public works department about their $600,000 request. 

In reality, they had received word, and their request had been denied. According to public works records, the event organizers got $250,000 subsequent to this phone call.

Oh, and who were the event organizers?  The most prominent member was former Montreal Canadians superstar Serge Savard, a huge Martin leadership backer, whose son was a Liberal candidate in the last election.

Paul Martin angrily stated in February that with regards to the sponsorship program, "[t]here had to be political direction."

Truer words have never been spoken by the man.

October 12, 2004 - On the verge of the broadcast of a CNN special entitled "Terror: Made in Canada," Minister of Foreign Affairs Pierre Pettigrew is either clueless or lying when he tries to put forward this position. (click here to continue)

October 8, 2004 - Jack Layton and the Premiers show what kind of cowards they really are. (click here to continue) (comments particularly welcome today!)

October 7, 2004 - Sometimes watching late night television can really make you sick. (click here to continue) 

October 6. 2004 - The whole country has generally been under the impression that the sponsorship scandal and a minority result at the polls have made the Liberals a little more weary of their conduct in upholding the public trust.  In the past week, however, Minister of Revenue John McCallum has shown us how wrong that assumption truly is.

McCallum decided to fill the vacant post of Canada Post chairman with his friend and former colleague in the Royal Bank, Gordon Feeney, in direct contravention of the strict rules of conduct that President of the Treasury Board Reg Alcock laid down last spring.  More specifically, McCallum ran rough shod over the requirement that positions of chief executives, board chairpersons and board members at Crown corporations must be advertised and put to parliamentary committees before they can be filled.

Now, McCallum has backtracked, and allowed for limited scrutiny of the appointment by the opposition parties.  According to the Minister, Mr. Feeney has "agreed that if the opposition wishes to interview him in a parliamentary committee, he's certainly available to do that."  What a guy!!!

This is just ridiculous.  He broke his own set of government guidelines, and now as a concession, he is allowing for a limited version of those rules and regulations to occur, but only after the fact. 

Political rhetoric is the most forgettable thing in the world, especially for the ones that deliver it.  For a man who is looking for peace and cooperation within this new session of parliament, Paul Martin certainly seems much more concerned with taunting his opposition than he is with governing.

October 6, 2004 - As TDH Strategies mentioned on Monday, the big test of yesterday's throne speech lay in how Paul Martin would choose to approach the issue of asymmetrical federalism.  Well, Chantal Hébert's column this morning shows how for Quebec and the Bloc Québécois, Mr. Martin failed miserably.

October 5, 2004 - UPDATE:  Watched with painstaking detail (literally), this speech offered absolutely nothing new from the Liberal election platform, other than an update on the 10-year health accord signed a couple of weeks back.  As expected, Paul Martin didn't veer off the course.  For a good accounting of reactions, visit CTV's online coverage of the speech, which has a nice cross-section of responses, from the Leader of the Opposition to some of the country's big city Mayors.

Alas, if anyone is looking for any type of excitement from this opening week of parliament (haven't we all learned by now?), it will be up to the amendments offered by the second and third parties to determine whether the Throne Speech will instigate any fireworks.  The advice from TDH Strategies?  Don't hold your breath.

October 5, 2004 - Up there with the Iraq quagmire and the latest US job figures (which indicate that planned US job cuts shot up 41% in September from year-earlier levels), Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has to be one of the Bush administration's worst liabilities.

Proven to be a complete disaster within his role during the Abu Ghareb prison abuse scandal (to which the entire country, and indeed much of the world, were calling for his resignation), Rumsfeld has once again gone against the official line of the Bush doctrine with this one admission regarding Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein:

"To my knowledge, I have not seen any strong, hard evidence that links the two."

This of course was followed up by a quick retraction, where a statement from Rumsfeld stated that his words had been "regrettably misunderstood."

One wonders whether the US government would even bother negotiating if terrorists kidnapped him and threatened a beheading.  Or whether they are just praying that actually happens the next time he happens to visit Iraq.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Although it will most likely be boring and lacklustre, TDH Strategies will post a review of the Throne Speech later in the day.

October 4, 2004 - The precarious politics of the Speech from the Throne (now isn't that odd!). (click here to continue)

October 1, 2004 - John Kerry learns that it is OK to be "offensive."  (click here to continue)