He blinked!

Harper blinked first.

It seems Harper's confidence motion was, again, a lot of bluster. He doesn't want to fight an election on Afghanistan after all.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has unveiled a new motion with a hard end date of 2011 for Canada's military mission in Afghanistan, a move aimed at bridging the gap between the Conservatives and Liberals.

Harper said the motion will incorporate "large elements" of last week's Liberal amendment of the Conservative party's original motion.

"We've examined the details of [the Liberals'] position very carefully," said Harper. "We are pleased that there is some fundamental common ground."

The motion says all Canadian troops will be out of the volatile Kandahar region by December 2011, six months later than called for by Stéphane Dion's Liberals.

Of course, none of this happens in a vacuum. There is something else going on which might add to this whole picture. I'll try to get it posted later on.