Evidence, Mackay. Without evidence, you're a liar.

What Pretty Shaved Ape said. Every word of it.

So, here's the set-up. Defence Minister Peter MacKay makes a surprize visit to Kandahar to spend Christmas with the troops.

A six-year old playing with Thomas the Train could have predicted that visit. So let's not play "Surprize". It was a scheduled trip and even Murray Oliver knew about it.

MacKay was, of course, accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Rick Hillier. No big deal. But it was the third member of the entourage that was the greatest curiosity: David Wilkins, US ambassador to Canada.

It didn't take long to have that explained because MacKay simply started playing a line put forth by the Bush administration. Iran is a bad guy and the US wants to bomb it. Thus, MacKay, ever the good doggy, used what should have been a good effort to visit the troops he has committed to the mission to Afghanistan, to pick on the same banjo as the Bush administration... and the Bush administration political overseer was there to make sure Petey stayed right on message. A message that had nothing at all to do with Christmas.

Afghanistan has "very negative influences coming in from other countries -- Pakistan, certainly Iran in particular," he said.

"We're very concerned that weapons are coming in from Iran, we're very concerned these weapons are going to the insurgents and keeping this issue alive."

Since. Fucking. When. MacKay?

I'm calling this what it is. Pure, unadulterated bullshit!

MacKay is lying through his teeth and he used the backdrop of Canadian troops to do it. Wearing a CADPAT combat uniform he is not entitled to wear, he spewed forth with a blatant accusation he simply cannot support.

If MacKay knew anything at all about the region beyond what the Bushies have fed him he would know that the Iranians despise the Taliban. They were happy to see the Taliban fall. The very last thing they want to see is the Taliban back in power.

MacKay, can spout on all he wants. The one thing he hasn't done is to provide one shred of evidence.

Not one.

And then, right on cue comes CTV's Murray Oliver.

"Of course, as the saying goes, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend,'" Oliver said.

Really?

Well, Mr. Oliver, a real reporter might have asked MacKay what proof he had to support the claim rather than recite an ancient Chinese proverb. A proverb which, I might add, has been the basis for more US foreign policy in the past 50 years than that of any other country.

So, MacKay, produce the evidence; irrefutable evidence.

Fail to do that and you remain one thing: a fucking liar. And a mouthpiece for the Cheney "bomb Iran" initiative.

And, just in case anybody missed it, should Cheney get his way and initiate an attack on Iran, Canada's defence minister just informed all of us that Canada will be right in the thick of it.