Monday, January 28, 2008

Duffy Questions Manley's "Demands"

Interesting discussion today on Duffy's show. Duffy had Conservative strategist Jeff Norquay on, lauding the Manley report for its "hard" demands. What was amazing, Duffy's response, basically arguing that Manley's conditions were only offered, because success was guaranteed. Here is the exchange:

Jeff Norquay: The Manley report is not talking about more of the same. It's talking about some very specific and some very hard conditions, which must be met if Canada is going to continue to be there. It's also talking about expanding the job.

Duffy:

In all fairness, do we really believe that John Manley put out the request for more equipment and a 1000 more troops not having had some back channel assurance that those troops would be available?

I don't believe it. Nice to know Duffy isn't lapping up the propaganda for a change, he can still smell a skunk from time to time. You need a combination of naivety and partisan deduction to take any of this process at face value. The Manley report is grand production, the actors chosen, the script pre-determined, the suspense fiction.

3 comments:

Scotian said...

You're kidding!

Really?

Who'd'a thunk it possible given the way he has been swallowing the CPC line for so long now. I had to stop watching his show because I couldn't take it day in and day out. I want hard analysis of what is going on taking none of the party's sides in the process (I like Don Newman because I couldn't say who he would vote for based on his work, Duffy as of late that was not true of) that is the kind of political journalism I respect, and was not seeing from Duffy for a long time now. If he is starting to push back like this I wonder if that indicates a tipping point has been reached in the media (or at least the CTV political staff/bureau) regarding the CPC approach to message and the media. One can hope anyway, thanks for giving me something to be pleased about before I crash for the night.

JimBobby said...

Whooee! I seen that, too. I liked how Norquay sorta looked all sheepish when ol' Moonface Mike was talkin' about the Merkans already having committed enough troops.
JB

Nick Barrowman said...

John Manley recently said "you can't feed [Canadians] news about young men and women dying without putting it in a context in which they can say this is why and this is meaningful and this is tragic but it's worth it." To paraphrase: Packaging is Everything!