On the other foot

In one of the surest signs yet that the movement against continued combat in Afghanistan is gaining traction, Gordon O'Connor has been forced to respond to the ever-declining support for continuing the status quo by highlighting a distinction which neocons have tried to claim doesn't exist:

While only 38% of Quebecers support Canada's mission to Afghanistan, 90% support the troops, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor said Sunday after speaking to the first contingent of Quebec-based soldiers leaving for a new rotation.

Sadly, O'Connor's momentary appreciation for the difference between supporting the mission and supporting the troops figures to be a short-lived reaction to some particularly damaging poll numbers involving the mission. And indeed it's not hard to anticipate the Cons trying to make O'Connor's "supporting the troops" number the story to divert attention from their past and continuing desire to extend Canada's combat role.

But even if it doesn't signal a longer-term move toward reality on the part of the Cons, O'Connor's message today should ensure that any future attempts to conflate the two concepts will be taken even less seriously than they have been so far. And an easy retort to Con jingoism is something which Canadians should have no trouble supporting.