Second Thots

I always take indirect quotes with a grain of salt, but this is apparently Stephane Dion's response to accusations that he knew Kyoto targets were unattainable in his dying days as environment minister:

Dion says he was never given such advice. He suggested the report resulted from civil servants reading the Conservatives' criticisms of Kyoto and predicting it was no longer a priority.

In fact, if you read that passage closely, not only does Dion question the integrity of the civil service — something Liberals and the media usually find akin to questioning the infallibility of the Pope — but his entire premise appears to be built on a foundation of mistruths.

Civil servants changing a report at the last minute? Dion knowing nothing of its contents as it was being developed? For that matter, do you even need a report from the civil service to know that the Liberals always knew they were never going to meet Canada's Kyoto targets?

Furthermore, ever notice how, when stuff happens under Liberals, their answers almost invariably include some version of the statement: "I didn't know about it." Leadership and responsibility at its finest, folks.

Let's not forget that Stephane Dion is constantly touted by Liberals as a man of integrity and honesty. To me, this means that he should hold himself to a higher standard. In his stint as leader so far, do you really think he's done that?