National Post

I'm pleased that they published it. I'm unpleased that they took the guts out of it, about the Germans.

The reality of the Convervative government policy in Afghanistan is that it is unrealistic. The Afghanistan Compact cost nobody anything, is not binding, and major goals have aready been missed. As for the reality of NATO's commitment, here's the Washington Post on Germany:"When German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Bush at his Texas ranch in November, U.S. and German officials said, she told him that while Bonn would step up its contribution in quiet northern Afghanistan, any change in Germany's noncombat role would spell political disaster for her conservative government."It's not an excuse; it's simply reality -- coalition reality and domestic reality," a German official said."

The reality is also that the Germans aren't willing to get killed for Afghanistan, but they're willing to sell us $1.2 billion of tanks for us to use getting shot. Maybe if they just gave us the tanks it would make a little more sense.The reality is that there isn't any plan for Afghanistan that makes any sense, has real commitments, and has a real budget. Why should Canadian kids get killed because, in fact, the government is not realistic or honest about what's going on in NATO?