Andrew Cohen: John Baird made a mess of foreign policy
So now it falls to Robert Douglas Nicholson — the plodding journeyman — to inherit the world of John Baird.
The office will elevate Nicholson, but will Nicholson elevate the office? Will he bring to it less certainty and more humility?
After Baird, the mogul of the megaphone, it won’t be that hard.
To his chorus of admirers, Baird was “principled.” He was “a rare beacon of light” and “a pillar of strength.” He was “a great foreign minister.”
That superlative comes from Jason Kenney, the new defence minister.
Ironically, Kenney should be foreign minister; more than anyone in cabinet, Kenney has the intelligence and sophistication for serious diplomacy.
But Kenney is not in the job because he has a consistency of morality that Baird did not. Kenney’s problem is that he believes in human rights everywhere, not just where it is convenient.
There was a time Stephen Harper did, too, but he caved on China when he realized the economic cost. Kenney never did and he remains persona non grata in Beijing
. - See more at: http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/columnists/andrew-cohen-john-baird-made-a-mess-of-foreign-policy-1.1762900#sthash.QGUow14J.dpuf
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