Generally on the deep and difficult Afghanistan file Stephen Harper has gotten it right. Yesterday's ruling by Speaker Peter Milliken presents the Prime Minister with the opportunity to do the correct thing again and benefit from it. Milliken's decision is not a turd sandwich for the government as some have suggested.
Remember it was this PM who brought the future of Canada's role in Afghanistan to Parliament for a vote. A Conservative regime changed and improved the detainee transfer agreement. Harper established the Manley Commission that, among other things, set up a regular reporting process to Parliament for this mission, which incidentally continues. It was also this government that brought Frank Iacobucci in to review key documents for public release related to our activities in the Afghanista. Never mind the key funding the Harper administration approved and delivered upon so Canadians in combat were properly equipped to fight. This is not government cheerleading, just the reality of the adept handling of some of the more complex elements of this war by the PM.
As some newspapers and opposition politicians chortle that the "Tories lost" yesterday, on the contrary the PM has been bestowed yet another chance to demonstrate the strength of his leadership while at the same time showing, as he has before, that he makes Parliament work on the big issues (vote on Afghanistan, economic management, all of his budgets passed, residential school apology, among other things). The Justice Minister gave us a preview yesterday that this just what the PM has in mind. Reasonable compromise while ensuring no ground would be given on the protection of national security, nor should it, became the opening line of the debate about where we go from here. There is nothing more than taking the the complex and turning it into the simple, wise, right thing to do and earning the respect for doing that that makes this Prime Minister tick. Harper doesn't take a pass on leadership tests.