On meaningless inputs

The CP reports that the Liebermanley Group is now pretending to care at least slightly about public input in the wake of last week's news that only the group's own hand-picked "experts" would actually get to address the panel. But not surprisingly, there's little reason to think that input will change the predetermined outcome:

John Manley's Afghanistan panel is setting up a website to take written submissions from the public, the head of a Canadian development group said Saturday.

The panel has said it had no plans for public hearings, but Gerry Barr, president of the Canadian Council for International Co-operation, said the website will allow for public input.

Barr and representatives of about a dozen other Canadian aid groups met Manley and his panel on Saturday. They were told an Internet site will be running soon and will accept comments and recommendations.

Obviously, it's better for the panel to at least have some theoretical access to submissions from the public. But it's hard to see a public website as anything but a fig leaf to try to deflect attention from the obvious problems with the panel's composition - as well as to provide an opportunity to cite any public submissions which happen to support the panel's foregone conclusion.