The Insurgency is in its Last BOOM! Throes

So, Dick Cheney is welcomed to Afghanistan by a car bomb. It used to be that these little visits were well orchestrated photo ops. Now, they seem to be an excuse for the Taliban to kill people. More than five years after the invasion of Afghanistan and things seem to be in worse shape than ever. M. Dion needs to get out there now and take Gerard Kennedy's position on Afghanistan to the people. This is a good idea for a host of reasons:

1. Kennedy was right. We need to either redesign this mission or end it. The mission as currently constructed will fail no matter how bravely and nobly our soldiers fight.
2. Calling for a withdrawal in the face of mounting Canadian casualties is a dangerous game. People can call you a coward or accuse you of using a soldier's death for political gain. However, the Canadian mission has not lost a soldier in weeks. The timing is perfect.
3. Dion has become a one-trick pony and desperately needs another trick. We cannot win the next election on the environment alone. We need to present a more comprehensive vision. Here's a first step.
4. The announced withdrawal of British troops has been viewed by many as intelligent if perhaps not completely honourable. Announcing a Canadian withdrawal at the same time will frame it in the right context.

Now, I know Mr. Ignatieff will hate this position. I don't care. Iggy's (and Harper's) argument that the overwhelming force of the American military will produce peace is demonstrably false. It would be necessary to respect the peacekeeping force in order for his plan to work. You don't try to blow up a diplomatic partner.