Yes, they really ARE that retarded.

I'm not sure whether to laugh or fear for my country:

Confusion reigns as defence contract opens for bids

A $3-billion project to buy new search-and-rescue aircraft kicked off Tuesday in Ottawa amid complaints from aerospace industry officials that government representatives can't even say how many planes will be purchased or when.

The industry day, signifying the start of the much-delayed program, left aerospace representatives puzzled and at times, frustrated.

Government representatives who called the meeting couldn't answer questions on how many planes would be bought, when they would be purchased, whether they would be equipped with sensors or how they would be maintained.

Several participants described the event, put on by the Defence Department, Public Works and Industry Canada, as a disaster.

Can it get any funnier? You bet:

About 140 people were jammed into a room in a military hangar, with some having to stand in a nearby hallway. The audio-visual presentation that was to outline details of the program did not work and the microphones for the main speakers and audience members failed.

At the last minute, the Harper government shut down an invitation for the media to listen to the presentations, leading to a bizarre situation where government employees refused even to confirm they were government employees.

In other related developments, numerous members of the Blogging Tories will knee-jerkingly praise the Harper government for "supporting our troops," while Sandy Crux will add this latest clusterfuck to her growing list of "Harper Government Accomplishments," then promptly move that list to another URL, confusing the crap out of people who are trying to keep up.