War without end... and a hint of things to come.

Cathie, who can pick up the finest little detail in a story, has put together a short timeline of Harper's latest little performance. It should scare you particularly because of this bit. (Emphasis mine)

Harper pledged to lead a diplomatic "full-court press" with allies to ensure Canadian soldiers get the help that will allow them to stay in Afghanistan indefinitely.

I seem to recall hearing sometime ago that Canadian troops would not be required to do any more than one tour in Afghanistan. With a limited number of battalions, that makes "indefinite" a finite number.

Silly me.

Oh yes. I have more.

Apparently, the Bush policy shoppe has been working past noon. Not content with fucking up Iraq beyond all possible recognition, they have a new idea. (OK, it's an old idea. What do you expect after a three martini lunch?)

The American Enterprise Institute, the think tank that came up with the “surge” strategy for Iraq, has just completed a re-evaluation of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan and concluded that another surge of U.S. forces is required, this time into southern Afghanistan.

AEI gathered at least “two dozen” experts for three days of discussions that finished Sunday, according to a Washington source familiar with the proposal. The AEI team was headed up by resident scholar Fred Kagan and included “many of the previous participants” from the discussions that preceded AEI’s Iraq surge proposal, including retired Army Gen. John M. “Jack” Keane, the source added.

Fred Kagan? Yes, this Fred Kagan. But, I digress... ever so slightly.

In a telephone interview, Kagan said AEI did not conduct the study at the administration’s request. While a “core group” of AEI employees worked on both studies, along with a small number of retired Army officers, “otherwise the personnel were [experts on] Afghanistan instead of Iraq,” Kagan said.

Well, there's a novel concept! Kagan might have thought of that very simple idea six years ago.

Does anybody have any questions?

I have one.

Were there any Canadian experts in that "core group"? How about the Dutch? Were there any Brits? Or is this just a "new" concept which commits your NATO water-carriers to war without end... without consultation?

Harper, the automaton, must be creaming himself.