So. Dion has backed down. But he wanted to sound tough in his submission, so he complained about the throne speech and said the only reason he's not going to vote it down is because Canadians don't want an election. Sure. Whatever. I agree that they don't -- I know I don't -- and I'm glad that everybody has put down the guns for the time being. Fine.

But I've got to comment on one line from Dion's speech:

The mission in Afghanistan is an important one, but we cannot remain silent on our other responsibilities. We cannot turn our back on Africa ... and what does the government intend to do in Darfur?

Many people know Darfur as a place where the government of Sudan is indirectly sponsoring a mass slaughter of the black population by Arab militias. China is deeply invested in the country however, so no international pressure has been exerted on Sudan to stop the killing. No sanctions, no flight restrictions -- hell, they haven't even been kicked out of the UN Commission on Human Rights. It's the primary example of the cowardice and ineffectiveness of the international community.

But to Stéphane Dion, Darfur is a distraction to pull out in front of the uninformed voters who want Canada out of Afghanistan but can't articulate their reason. It's like he's saying, 'We like to help people in trouble, but Afghanistan is not the only problem in the world. What about Darfur?', while knowing perfectly well that Canada is in no position to do anything. 'Cynical' just doesn't cover this kind of attitude.