Minister of Defense and former "dog" whisperer Peter MacKay visited the troops in Afghanistan to boost moral but was shuttled to safety at the
first sign of trouble.
Read article here:
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/273981
I was annoyed with Mr. MacKay when he refused to own up to his "dog" comments whispered about Belinda Stronach. For women across Canada, the incident resonated as an immature response to a relationship gone sour. The media lapped up the story by visiting Peter MacKay in his hometown where he did his best to look forlorn, hugging his dog, surveying his sizable property and appearing pensive for one entire afternoon before jetting back to Parliament where he would be overheard comparing his ex-girlfriend to a female dog; and then lying about it.
The incident was made worse by our own M.P. Helena Guergis who jumped to his defense, in spite of not having actually been a witness, citing that Peter MacKay was raised with sisters and it would be doubtful that he would show such disrespect. Sure Helena, that's a good argument. No rapist, murderer, wife beater or woman hater has ever been raised with women.
So the ambitious young Conservative was rewarded with a high profile and extremely macho assignment as Minister of Defense. Life is good for Peter MacKay.
This week it was reported by the Toronto Star that while visiting a base in Afghanistan in support of the troops, a couple of rockets were lobbed in his general direction. And, instead of showing real support by staying put beside the very men who put their lives on the line based on his decisions back in Ottawa, he finds the first helicopter out of there.
With remembrance day just days away, we have been re-taught a very sad lesson; high profile politicians are in a different category than the rest of us. They can make the decisions, but they are always exempt from the consequences of those decisions. You'll never see men like Peter MacKay fighting alongside our soldiers. You'll never see the children of politicians going to war either.
I wonder how the troops and veterans felt about that?
I know there will be some people who read this and think that nothing could be served by putting Peter MacKay in danger, but I have this to say to them; if Politicians are not shown the true face of war, doesn't it make it easier for them to enact them? If men like Mr. MacKay understood exactly what war looked like, perhaps he wouldn't be so quick to put other people in harm's way. Such a serious decision deserves to be considered from the perspective that only experience can bring.
Darlene
Watters is the author, editor and publisher of Day At The Beach. She
also operates the wasaga.com web site. Views and opinions expressed in
this article are those of the author alone, and do not represent the
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