Some criticism
Even though I found nothing wrong with the Emerson/Fortier/O'Connor appointments, there were definitely some things that I found disappointing in Harper's cabinet. No other decision stands out in its poor judgment than the appointment of Peter Mackay to Foreign Affairs.
I've never been particularly impressed by Peter Mackay. He's the architect of the stupidest decision ever made in Canadian politics (the deal with Orchard in May 2003, when he would have won anyway had he not signed the deal), he throws around the word moderate every 2 minutes during television interviews as if being moderate was some sort of great thing to be (I grew up thinking of "moderate" as a sort of insult, perhaps Mackay could refer to himself and his party as "centrist" - that would be okay since it doesn't automatically imply a lack of conviction and principles - being a "radical" or 'immoderate" centrist is completely fine by me).
He's just very very wishy washy. More so than probably any other member of the Conservative cabinet. I know this has to do with his personal life, but he had the poor judgment to befriend Belinda Stronach, when it was clear that Belinda's only preoccupation was the fulfillment of her ambitions. His supposed dating of Sophie Desmarais (daughter of billionaire Power Corp. head) smells funny as well.
Anyways, enough Mackay bashing for now. My only point is that it's best to follow up Pierre Pettigrew's wishy-washiness with someone who has conviction and the unmistakeable ability to distinguish between good and evil. I strongly doubt that Peter Mackay possesses those qualities. I know that PM Harper had to give him some senior role, but Foreign Affairs should have been left to someone with strong views on Canada's role in promoting the universality of human rights. Lastly, I just can't imagine Peter Mackay holding his own in a meeting with Condi Rice. It just seems so unbalanced - a brilliant woman like Dr. Rice discussing serious issues with someone who comes across as a complete and hopeless lightweight.
I hope I'm proven wrong. For many conservatives, the position of Foreign Affairs has the ability to be just as important as the position of Finance... Harper seemed to do good by appointing Flaherty to Finance, but I'm struck by how little I've heard in the way of criticism (from conservatives) towards Mackay's appointment. I'm setting the bar pretty low when it comes to Mackay, so I might be pleasantly surprised. We'll see.
I've never been particularly impressed by Peter Mackay. He's the architect of the stupidest decision ever made in Canadian politics (the deal with Orchard in May 2003, when he would have won anyway had he not signed the deal), he throws around the word moderate every 2 minutes during television interviews as if being moderate was some sort of great thing to be (I grew up thinking of "moderate" as a sort of insult, perhaps Mackay could refer to himself and his party as "centrist" - that would be okay since it doesn't automatically imply a lack of conviction and principles - being a "radical" or 'immoderate" centrist is completely fine by me).
He's just very very wishy washy. More so than probably any other member of the Conservative cabinet. I know this has to do with his personal life, but he had the poor judgment to befriend Belinda Stronach, when it was clear that Belinda's only preoccupation was the fulfillment of her ambitions. His supposed dating of Sophie Desmarais (daughter of billionaire Power Corp. head) smells funny as well.
Anyways, enough Mackay bashing for now. My only point is that it's best to follow up Pierre Pettigrew's wishy-washiness with someone who has conviction and the unmistakeable ability to distinguish between good and evil. I strongly doubt that Peter Mackay possesses those qualities. I know that PM Harper had to give him some senior role, but Foreign Affairs should have been left to someone with strong views on Canada's role in promoting the universality of human rights. Lastly, I just can't imagine Peter Mackay holding his own in a meeting with Condi Rice. It just seems so unbalanced - a brilliant woman like Dr. Rice discussing serious issues with someone who comes across as a complete and hopeless lightweight.
I hope I'm proven wrong. For many conservatives, the position of Foreign Affairs has the ability to be just as important as the position of Finance... Harper seemed to do good by appointing Flaherty to Finance, but I'm struck by how little I've heard in the way of criticism (from conservatives) towards Mackay's appointment. I'm setting the bar pretty low when it comes to Mackay, so I might be pleasantly surprised. We'll see.
posted by Japnaam Singh at
8:19 AM
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