The transparency of O'Connor's secrecy

Why didn't they just do what they usually do? Make something up.

A day after Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor met with his American counterpart, the federal Conservative government was still refusing to say what the pair talked about. O'Connor visited Washington on Tuesday for his first meeting with new U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates. But O'Connor refused to speak to reporters about the taxpayer-funded trip. "Due to time constraints, there was no time for a media availability, however, I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities the next time he is in Washington," spokeswoman Isabelle Bouchard wrote in an e-mail. When asked Tuesday and again Wednesday what was discussed, unusually tight-lipped officials said they had no information to provide. Bouchard said only that it was a good meeting and that the minister "looks forward to working constructively with his American counterpart in the future." Canadian officials didn't even announce that the meeting was happening until the day of the visit. There was one clue to the secrecy: a source said staff were ordered by the Prime Minister's Office to keep quiet Tuesday so as not to take publicity away from Stephen Harper's speech on the one-year anniversary of his election win.

Ah, yes. Steve Harper. It's always about our very presidential Steve.

Take O'Connor's visit for what it's worth. Both O'Connor and Gates have one thing in common. They have politically-damaging military actions working against them. By not speaking about it means not having to answer the most embarrassing question of all with an answer that would sound like, "We have not a clue what to do next."