Past the handwringing to job at hand

Sometimes I just can't believe it.

The pampered handwringers are out in full chorus this time, but most people can't be fooled by all this furor over Taliban prisoners of war.

The opposition parties are all fired up over the potential Taliban terrorist prisoners captured by Canadian troops could be abused when acquired by Afghan authorities.

Canadians aren't accused of doing this, but you'd think they were the chief bullies the way the opposition critics and some academic cheerleaders are behaving. Talk of war crimes trials and resignations. What rot.

The report much waved by the pampered handwringers apparently speaks generally of abuses, disappearances and deaths - like we already know about in a lot of countries, even some not in conflict.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day put things in perspective. The terrorists and suspects are bound to be bad witnesses. Despite what they have done to their countrymen, the terrorists and suspects have been, to Canadian authorities' awareness, well treated in Afghan custody.

There's NDP leader Jack Layton, who has more important things to do for Canadians than gum a war effort, yelling in Parliament for Defense Minister Gordon O'Connor's resignation.

Worse, Deputy Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, a very knowledgeable man and a more blue Liberal in the eyes of many, was also up bellowing like a maniac for O'Connor's job.

I have grave concerns about our own Scott Brison and his place in a party that has snapped back to its bad old ways in such a hurry. It isn't the Liberal Party he joined.

Let's not forget Harper's not unfounded suggestion the Liberals care more about the Taliban than they do about our own troops.

What is our government to do? Keep the prisoners? Here?

That's what Liberal leader Stephane Dion had initially suggested. I assume it would be a prelude to those guys getting the three-year citizenships and becoming good Liberals.

In reality, we have no choice but to give the prisoners over to the host authorities, regardless of what their future prospects are.

Whether other governments have - or, more likely, only believe they have - monitoring rights of prisoners they turn over is up to them. In reality, what control do they really have?

Let's not forget the Liberals were the ones in power - albeit under then-Prime Minister Paul Martin, a realist - when the current Canadian-Afghan prisoner agreement came into play.

And what constitutes abuse, or even robust handling? Don't forget: what may be routine in some places may appear downright abusive to those who've had it good.

What some people don't understand - or refuse to - is we are in a state of conflict, a counter-terrorist operation to make a world citizen nation a good neighbour. Our troops have drawn some of the worst NATO duty. There is nothing they can do but do the job well. There is nothing we at home can do but support the mission.