Yeah, that's kinda bad timing, don't you think?

Oct 5, 2007:

MacKay calls Liberal's trip to Afghanistan a stunt

It is irresponsible for the Liberal defence critic [Denis Coderre] to travel to Afghanistan without the Conservative government's approval, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Friday...

"Mr. Coderre is engaged, in my view, in a dangerous and elaborate stunt, a publicity stunt on his part," MacKay said, arguing that troops in Afghanistan could be put in unnecessary danger if Coderre were kidnapped and they had to try to save him.

"It's irresponsible. It puts people at risk. It puts soldiers at risk."

Oct 6, 2007:

Maxime Bernier, Bev Oda make unannounced trip to Afghanistan

October 6, 2007 - 2:16

THE CANADIAN PRESS

KABUL, Afghanistan - Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier and International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda are visiting Afghanistan.

They're to meet today with their Afghan counterparts as well as Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul.

The two ministers will also be touring Canadian-supported development projects in the war-torn country.

Where's a United Way agenda item when you need one?

AFTERSNARK: As Impolitical points out here:

Junior MacKay's sounding like he's in a bit of a pickle. We know his government wouldn't allow the Liberal Defence critic to visit the mission in Afghanistan, so Denis Coderre went himself. Now Junior's sounding like he's regretting the government's actions and is in full CYA mode ...

As I suggested last weekend, Junior and the boys better hope nothing happens to Coderre or they're up the creek...

No joke. One can only hope that MacKay realizes what kind of deep shit he's in if something happens to Coderre, who was forced to make his own unorthodox travel arrangements to get to Afghanistan while MacKay must have known all along about the upcoming Oda/Bernier junket, on which Coderre could have simply hitched a ride.

Oh, yes ... if something should befall Coderre, Peter MacKay's political career is so over.