Pick a lane, Mark

Leon Panetta, the revered former U.S. Secretary of Defence, is speaking about war.

“Leaders have to understand,” Panetta says in an interview. “That when you send people into war, you better damn well have a very clear mission for what they’re doing and why they’re doing it.” He pauses.

“And, if you constantly change that mission…that really begins to screw up what soldiers are thinking. The reason they’re out there, putting their lives on the line. It begins to hurt your own effort.”

This, of course, is Donald Trump’s main problem in the Iran-Israel-America war: why did he give the order to attack? The mission’s objective seems to change daily. Is it for regime change? Is it to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons? Is it to stop the spread of terrorism and hate?

Any of those reasons are laudable goals, in this writer’s opinion. Any one of them justifies the action the United States has taken against the maniacal sadists who presently rule Iran. So, defining and defending the war in Iran is mostly Donald Trump’s problem. True.

But, increasingly, it is Mark Carney’s problem, too. Even though Canada was not consulted before the United States and Israel started bombing Iran’s rulers last weekend - even though we do not (to our knowledge) have a single military asset involved in the war - the war is not without consequence to our Prime Minister. It is, more and more, a political problem.

It is a problem of Carney’s own making. Immediately after Israel and America commenced their military action, Carney issued a statement on his letterhead.

“Canada’s position remains clear: the Islamic Republic of Iran is the principal source of instability and terror throughout the Middle East, has one of the world’s worst human rights records, and must never be allowed to obtain or develop nuclear weapons,” the statement read. “Canada reaffirms Israel’s right to defend itself and to ensure the security of its people. Canada supports the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security.”

It was an astonishing statement, for two reasons. One, it marked the first time anyone could recall Carney applauding Israel. Two, it unambiguously supported what Israel and the United States did: “Canada’s position remains clear,” he said.

Well, not for long.

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