On common ignorance

Sure, it may look bad that the catastrophically-suffering Larry Smith has no answers as to what a trade agreement with Japan could possibly hope to accomplish when he's been selected as the Cons' spokesflack on the issue:

He was asked, at a news conference where he announced a study on a possible trade deal with Japan, a basic question on what barriers to commerce currently existed. He was there last Wednesday on behalf of International Trade Minister Peter Van Loan.

"I am not informed about all the details," Smith replied. "You'll have to give me another two or three months before I respond to that question."

But let's be fair to Smith: if he can't name any trade barriers worth addressing with far-reaching anti-government agreements, that only puts him in the same general category as everybody else pushing the same position.