Monday digest

- Four Canadian soldiers have been killed by a suicide bomber as they were supposedly handing out candy and gifts to children in southern Afghanistan.

It's completely appalling that some aspirants to the job of Prime Minister of this country believe that we should sit down and engage in dialogue with the perpetrators of atrocities like this.

Ascribing rationality to terrorists is the most damaging mistake liberals make when arguing for their approach.

- As Ford and GM talk merger, a look at how the public policy climate in Michigan is certainly not helping the auto industry, here.

- This unflattering portraing of the events of last May on Parliament Hill leave one with the undeniable impression that Belinda Stronach is a little in over her head.

- Couldn't help but notice a couple of things about last night's CTV programming. First, at the end of Big Top Talent, I mean, Canadian Idol, host Ben Mulroney congratulated winner Eva Avila of Gatineau, Quebec in French by referring to the "millions of Canadians and Quebeckers who voted" for her.

Hold on a minute.

Since when was the Parti Quebecois sponsoring this show? Quebeckers don't have their own army/passports/central bank/embassies abroad just yet. And last time I checked, the show was called "Canadian Idol", not "Hyphenated Canadian Idol". No matter to Mulroney, who news reports say later referred to Avila as the "perfect Canadian Idol" because not only is she bilingual but TRIlingual (English, French, Spanish).

How very Trudeaupian of our Ben. His father would be proud.

(No word if the unilingual runner-up, a native of Newfoundland, was asked to comment.)

Then, on to the Amazing Race, where the contestants this time around include black single moms from Birmingham, Alabama, former drug addicts turned models, a father/daughter team who are trying to rebuild their relationship after she declared her lesbianism years ago, an amputee, two flamingly effeminate boyfriends, and pairs of Asian, Indo and Muslim American teams.

Suffice it to say I couldn't help but notice that this cast of characters is undoubtedly a royal flush when it comes to politically correct poker.