NDP Alleges that the Canadian Military wrote Afghan President Hamid Karzai's speech to Parliament

It is amazing how ridiculous some of the allegations made by left-wing supporters against anyone who stands for the mission to Afghanistan are. The NDP is now alleging that the speech made by Afghan President, Hamid Karzai to parliament during his visit to Canada last year was written by the Canadian military.

Dawn Black, the NDP defence critic, said the documents indicate military advisers were asked to prepare an initial draft of Karzai's speech, delivered on Sept. 22, 2006.

"What Canadians heard was not the voice of the Afghan people, but the talking points of the Department of National Defence,'' Black said.

The Afghan ambassador to Canada, Omar Samad, has strongly denied the allegation, but that did not matter to the NDP.

"I can say something simple and say it's laughable and I could say something a bit more serious and say it verges on being insulting.''

Afghan ambassador denies NDP claims on speech

"I was one of those who spent hours, along with other Afghan officials, with the president himself working on the speech, and the president himself was the last person who edited and finalized it, as is his style," Samad said.

On his radio show yesterday afternoon, host Charles Adler interviewed NDP MP and former Federal NDP leader, Alexa McDonough.

Charles Adler's interview with NDP MP Alexa McDonough
(Note: You need Windows Media Player to hear it)

link to original interview

Some of things that Ms. McDonough said and implied were indeed shocking. In that interview:

• She refused to acknowledge that the 2 million Afghan girls that are in school, were there because of the sacrifices made by Canadian and NATO troops.
• She said that (Canadian) military communications people delivered the words that (Hamid Karzai) delivered in parliament when he visited Canada last year
• She feels that there has been an incredible exploitation of the Canadian military in a propaganda war.

Here is the kicker: (Note I am paraphrasing here, as I did not get all the words)

Charles: "...give me a single line from that speech based on life in Afghanistan that he portrayed that is not true"

Alexa: "No that’s not…It is not a question of what is true. It is a question of are we hearing ah from the President of Afghanistan the message that the people of his country want delivered to Canada through parliament. I mean that’s ah a pretty major venue in which to give that opportunity"

Charles: "That’s a pretty serious charge. It’s a pretty serious charge that he does not represent his own people. That he represents something else. That’s a very serious charge."

Alexa: "What was recorded by our own military was that he took his messages, his themes, the key statistics, as well as the overall structure of his speech provided to him and delivered it to parliament and I find it deeply disappointing and I find it very frightening."

Charles Adler's interview with NDP MP Alexa McDonough
(Note: You need Windows Media Player to hear it)


What is really shocking here is the level of contempt that the NDP has shown for a democratically elected head of state from a war-torn country, who simply came to Canada to say thank you and inform Canadians of the good that their troops are doing.

But then again, why should I be surprised? The left-wing, and their friends in the MSM, have had a concerted campaign to do anything in their power to portray the Afghan mission in a bad light and minimize the good that is being done there.

Update:

Alexa McDonough has been shuffled out as NDP critic on foreign affairs by Jack Layton. Her new portfolio is international development, international co-operation, peace advocacy, Atlantic Canada region.