"AirShow" MacKay's excellent NATO audition

When we read in today's G&M that :

"The Washington Post reported Sunday that U.S. Vice President Joe Biden would be promoting Mr. MacKay's candidacy [to be the next NATO secretary-general] to "reward Canada for its valiant combat performance in Afghanistan "

after we finished gagging, we of course immediately remember AirShow's excellent audition ten days ago fighting off the Red Menace :

"I'm not going to stand here and accuse the Russians of having deliberately done this during the presidential visit, but it was a strong coincidence, which we met with a presence, as we always do, of F-18 fighter planes. "[The pilots] sent a strong signal they should back off and stay out of our airspace."

At the time we all considered the whole matter closed upon learning that :

"A senior government official said highlighting the mid-air meeting was a good way to show the worth and relevance of NORAD while its commander, U.S. Gen. Victor Renuart, was visiting Ottawa."

A ha, we thought, it's just MacKay's audition for the NATO gig.

Today, Boris and Impolitical quote Dave Pugliese wondering what the fuck is up with ReformaCon MP Laurie "Red Dawn" Hawn, who happens to be AirShow's parliamentary secretary. Here is Hawn's question to Vice Admiral Dean McFadden, head of Canada Command, during a recent visit to a Commons defence committee hearing, of which, rather alarmingly, Hawn is a member:

"Are we concerned about any aerial incursions by the Russians for the Vancouver Olympics?" Mr. Hawn asked.
This question came out of the blue. VAdm McFadden hadn’t even mentioned the Russians as a potential threat to the Olympics. [Ed. note : Duh.]
Adm. McFadden indicated to Mr. Hawn that he was not concerned about any Russian incursions."

Mr. Pugliese : "Huh?"

Mr Hawn may be hoping for a promotion in the event his boss moves on to NATO.
Or perhaps he's just following AirShow's lead in conjuring up an excuse to warm us up to the US military "incursion" at the 2010 Olympics ...

AirShow hosted the 8th Conference of Defence Ministers of the Americas held in Banff last September. Attending were over 30 defence ministers of the "Americas", including US Defense Secretary Robert "Iran Contra Affair" Gates.

US State Dept : "Sub-themes for this year's gathering include generating military assistance for regionally or nationally hosted events like the 2010 Winter Olympics in Canada."

CP : "MacKay says the size of the [hemisphere] makes it challenging to co-ordinate efforts.
He says the ministers will discuss how to co-operate on providing armed security during natural disasters such as hurricanes or major national events like the 2010 Olympic games in Vancouver."
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